BAGHDAD

Twenty-two Iraqi suspects facing terrorism charges escaped today from a jail in northern Baghdad after killing a security guard and making their way through a backdoor, but most were rearrested later in the day. Officials said attacks across the country, meanwhile, killed eight people.

The stunning jailbreak from the detention center in Baghdad’s al-Adela prison triggered a police manhunt backed by helicopters that left one of the escaped prisoners dead while 13 were rearrested. Eight remain at large.

The prisoners managed to escape by first luring a guard into their cell while other guards were sleeping, claiming an inmate there was critically ill, and stabbed him to death, said two senior security officials.

Several guards were later detained and were being questioned to find out whether they had somehow assisted in the jailbreak, a prison official said.

Jailbreaks are frequent in Iraq and, as with other security breaches, they have cast doubts on the ability of the authorities to secure the country, mired in sectarian tensions.

Also today, a car bomb went off near a security checkpoint in the western city of Ramadi, killing five policemen and wounding seven others, said police officials.

In a drive-by shooting in western Baghdad, gunmen shot and killed two government employees in their car. And police said a bomb exploded near an out-door market in Madain area, just south of Baghdad, killing one person and wounding four.

Medics in nearby hospitals confirmed the casualty figures for all the attacks. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media.

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