An unidentified armed group on Tuesday abducted 42 prisoners in Iraq's Saladin province.
About 50 men dressed in black intercepted the vehicles in which the security forces were carrying the prisoners to the capital Baghdad, officials told EFE news agency.
The prisoners were to be declared innocent after dismissing all charges against them, the officials added.
The armed men abducted the prisoners after depriving the police of their weapons and communication devices in the vicinity of Dujail town.
The prisoners were held in an Iraqi military jail near Dujail and were detained during operations against the Islamic State in various areas in Saladin.
