By . Chris Pleasance . A gun and bomb attack on a prison bus near Baghdad today has killed at least 60 people including 52 prisoners and eight police officers. The bus was transporting prisoners from a military base in the town of Taji to Baghdad when it was hit by roadside bombs before gunmen opened fire, according to Ministry of Justice sources. The attack happened after militants fired mortar shells at an army base where suspects facing terrorism charges were being held in Taji, about 12 miles north of Baghdad. Scroll down for video . At least 60 people, including 52 prisoners and eight police officers, have been killed after a bus transporting them was hit by roadside bombs before gunmen opened fire . No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, and the motivation remains unclear. Gun attacks have become common in Iraq after militant group Islamic State seized territory in the north east . Fearing a jailbreak, prison officers filed detainees on to buses and evacuated. But as the prisoners were being taken through an area nearby, militants attacked again. Roadside bombs were set off, leading to a gun battle that left 52 prisoners and eight soldiers dead, the officials said, adding that another eight soldiers and seven prisoners were wounded. It was not immediately clear if the prisoners were killed by soldiers or militants, or if the Islamic State group, who have seized large areas of land in Iraq's north west, was involved. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the bus attack, which left the vehicle as a burned-out shell on the side of the road. The motive for today's killings is not immediately clear. Much of Iraq's recent bloodshed is linked to sectarian divisions that have deepened since Sunni militants  seized large swathes of northern Iraq last month and declared an Islamic empire. Sunni militants have been carrying out attacks around the southern edge of Baghdad. In response Shiite militias have been abducting Sunnis they suspect of militancy in rural districts of Baghdad, with many later turning up dead. At the time of the attack, inmates were being evacuated from a prison complex after it was hit with mortars . It was not immediately clear if the prisoners were killed by soldiers or militants, or if the Islamic State group was involved in the attack . The tit-for-tat attacks have escalated dramatically since the Sunni militants advance towards Baghdad, the most serious challenge to the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki since the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2011. Mass killings  have become a regular occurrence in Iraq for the first time since the worst days of sectarian and ethnic cleansing in 2006-2007. Elsewhere in Iraq today, lawmakers elected a veteran Kurdish politician as the nation's new president. Fouad Massoum, 76, one of the founders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party led by Iraq's previous President Jalal Talabani, accepted the mostly ceremonial position after winning two-thirds of the votes in parliament. The vote for president marks an important milestone towards reaching consensus between the country's main political parties, seen as key to stemming the crisis in the country. Massoum is considered a soft-spoken moderate, known for keeping good relations with Sunni and Shiite Arab politicians. But in a sign that the country itself remains deeply divided,  Kurdish peshmerga fighters seized yet more land in their fight against Islamic State militants. Much of Iraq's recent bloodshed is linked to sectarian divisions that have deepened since Sunni militants seized large swathes of northern Iraq last month and declared an Islamic empire . The Kurds have spent weeks battling militants in Jalawla, 115 km (70 miles) northeast of Baghdad, and took complete control of the town today after overnight clashes. Jalawla lies in disputed territory, and is one of several towns where Iraqi troops and Kurdish regional guards have previously faced off against each other. In June, Kurdish forces took control of the northern oil city of Kirkuk after government troops abandoned their posts in the face of the Sunni Islamist rebel march towards Baghdad. Kurds have long dreamed of taking Kirkuk and its huge oil reserves. They regard the city, just outside their autonomous region, as their historical capital. Thursday's violence underscored the urgent need for Iraqi leaders to form a power-sharing government to hold Iraq together as its future as its unified state is increasingly under threat from the advance of Sunni Islamist militants. Iraq's million-strong army, trained and equipped by the United States, has largely collapsed, especially in the north, after Islamists overran the city of Mosul last month. Iraq's politicians have been in deadlock over forming a new government since an election in April.
At least 52 prisoners and eight prison guards injured in attack on bus .
Vehicle hit by roadside bombs near Baghdad before gunmen opened fire .
Another eight soldiers and seven inmates injured during the assault .
Prisoners being evacuated from complex after it was hit with mortars .
No group has claimed responsiblity and motivation for killings is unclear .
By . Chris Pleasance . A gun and bomb attack on a prison bus near Baghdad today has killed at least 60 people including 52 prisoners and eight police officers. The bus was transporting prisoners from a military base in the town of Taji to Baghdad when it was hit by roadside bombs before gunmen opened fire, according to Ministry of Justice sources. The attack happened after militants fired mortar shells at an army base where suspects facing terrorism charges were being held in Taji, about 12 miles north of Baghdad. Scroll down for video . At least 60 people, including 52 prisoners and eight police officers, have been killed after a bus transporting them was hit by roadside bombs before gunmen opened fire . No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, and the motivation remains unclear. Gun attacks have become common in Iraq after militant group Islamic State seized territory in the north east . Fearing a jailbreak, prison officers filed detainees on to buses and evacuated. But as the prisoners were being taken through an area nearby, militants attacked again. Roadside bombs were set off, leading to a gun battle that left 52 prisoners and eight soldiers dead, the officials said, adding that another eight soldiers and seven prisoners were wounded. It was not immediately clear if the prisoners were killed by soldiers or militants, or if the Islamic State group, who have seized large areas of land in Iraq's north west, was involved. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the bus attack, which left the vehicle as a burned-out shell on the side of the road. The motive for today's killings is not immediately clear. Much of Iraq's recent bloodshed is linked to sectarian divisions that have deepened since Sunni militants  seized large swathes of northern Iraq last month and declared an Islamic empire. Sunni militants have been carrying out attacks around the southern edge of Baghdad. In response Shiite militias have been abducting Sunnis they suspect of militancy in rural districts of Baghdad, with many later turning up dead. At the time of the attack, inmates were being evacuated from a prison complex after it was hit with mortars . It was not immediately clear if the prisoners were killed by soldiers or militants, or if the Islamic State group was involved in the attack . The tit-for-tat attacks have escalated dramatically since the Sunni militants advance towards Baghdad, the most serious challenge to the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki since the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2011. Mass killings  have become a regular occurrence in Iraq for the first time since the worst days of sectarian and ethnic cleansing in 2006-2007. Elsewhere in Iraq today, lawmakers elected a veteran Kurdish politician as the nation's new president. Fouad Massoum, 76, one of the founders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party led by Iraq's previous President Jalal Talabani, accepted the mostly ceremonial position after winning two-thirds of the votes in parliament. The vote for president marks an important milestone towards reaching consensus between the country's main political parties, seen as key to stemming the crisis in the country. Massoum is considered a soft-spoken moderate, known for keeping good relations with Sunni and Shiite Arab politicians. But in a sign that the country itself remains deeply divided, Kurdish peshmerga fighters seized yet more land in their fight against Islamic State militants. Much of Iraq's recent bloodshed is linked to sectarian divisions that have deepened since Sunni militants seized large swathes of northern Iraq last month and declared an Islamic empire . The Kurds have spent weeks battling militants in Jalawla, 115 km (70 miles) northeast of Baghdad, and took complete control of the town today after overnight clashes. Jalawla lies in disputed territory, and is one of several towns where Iraqi troops and Kurdish regional guards have previously faced off against each other. In June, Kurdish forces took control of the northern oil city of Kirkuk after government troops abandoned their posts in the face of the Sunni Islamist rebel march towards Baghdad. Kurds have long dreamed of taking Kirkuk and its huge oil reserves. They regard the city, just outside their autonomous region, as their historical capital. Thursday's violence underscored the urgent need for Iraqi leaders to form a power-sharing government to hold Iraq together as its future as its unified state is increasingly under threat from the advance of Sunni Islamist militants. Iraq's million-strong army, trained and equipped by the United States, has largely collapsed, especially in the north, after Islamists overran the city of Mosul last month. Iraq's politicians have been in deadlock over forming a new government since an election in April.
prison bus near Baghdad today has killed at least when it was hit by roadside bombs before gunmen roadside bombs before gunmen opened fire . No 52 prisoners and eight soldiers dead, the soldiers and seven prisoners were wounded. It was motive for today's killings is not immediately time of the attack, inmates were being evacuated from a prison complex after it was hit with