(KUNA) -- The US Army in Iraq announced it would release about 500 detainees on Thursday in a gesture aimed at fostering goodwill and reconciliation in the violence-striven country. The discharge will take place in an official ceremony in the Iraqi capital, where an Iraqi military leader will supervise the process, an Army statement said today without giving details about the identity of those to be freed.
At least 683 detainees held in US-run prisons across Iraq have been released since the middle of last month, a statement from the Iraqi Vice President Tareq Al-Hashemi's office said last Monday. Of those released, 283 were freed last week, it added. The release was part of a program undertaken by Hashemi's office in collaboration with the US Army for the speedy release of those held for a long time without formal charges being pressed. |