LOC23:31
20:31 GMT
BAGHDAD, Nov 7 (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. (end)
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KUNA 072331 Nov 07NNNN