Iraq plans mass detainee pardon,says top official

[Barrett808]

Source: Reuters

BASRA, 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.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L1672775.htm

[tanyev]

1. There goes everyone that got rounded up in the surge.

[99th_Monkey]

2. Are they going to issue firearms & live ammo to them upon their release?

Gee, this just might be a great time for US to get the f*ck outa Iraq asap... just maybe?

[defendandprotect]

3. 50,000 people --- !!!

And we don't have but ONE conviction ---

and the original overall roundup was 80,000???

Something like that --- ???

Yeah --- I'm sure there are that many terraists in the world --- !!!!

How insane --- how insane --- how insane . . . !!!

[rodeodance]

4. yup

[pleah]

5. I hope they make to their homes before blackwater gets to them.

[humbled_opinion]

6. Next you will be told how this is the Iraqi Reconciliation that...

The Democrats told you wasn't going to happen... and then you will get Iraq is a bastion of freedom and hope int he troubled ME and if Bush had capitulated to the Democrats calling for withdraw of our troops none of this would have been possible...

That is the coming debate how Democrats are on the wrong side of history and cannot be trusted with our national security in these violent times of Islamic Terra...