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ReutersBASRA, Iraq, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Iraq's government is planning to release thousands of detainees from custody as part of efforts to forge national reconciliation between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims, a top Iraqi official said on Sunday.
National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's "Pardon and Safety" plan would "secure the release of thousands of detainees in Iraqi government prisons".
"We believe this will contribute a great deal to improving the security situation in the country," Rubaie said in Basra after Britain formally handed over responsibility for security in Iraq's second-largest city to Iraqi forces.
The issue of detainees in both U.S. and Iraqi jails is one of the most sensitive in the country, especially as detentions have soared since military operations were stepped up this year.
Rubaie said the Iraqi government was now holding 24,000 detainees and U.S. forces are holding 26,000. Most are held without charge.
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