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US military to transfer Iraqi detainees in 2009

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-12 20:20

BAGHDAD -- The US military has agreed with the Iraqi government to release or transfer Iraqi detainees to Iraqi authorities starting from the beginning of 2009, according to a US statement.

The statement obtained by Xinhua on Friday said the US and Iraqi sides have formed a joint committee to supervise the transfer, which will include about 1,500 detainees every month.

The Iraqi government will review the files of detainees to decide whether to free some of them or transfer others to Iraqi prisons, the statement said.

It said top Iraqi and US officials have held on Wednesday their first meeting on the detainees issue since the two sides last month signed a security pact that would allow the US troops to stay here for another three years.

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Top US troops commander General Raymond Odierno said transferring Iraqi detainees to Iraqi authorities would give " international legitimacy to the Iraqi people," the statement said.

For his part, Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh warned against releasing criminals, who he said could return to terrorist activities, it added.

Since the beginning of 2008, some 17,800 Iraqi prisoners have been released. The US authorities in Iraq now still keep up to 15,800 Iraqi detainees in its prisons, it said.

Late last month, Iraq signed a key security agreement, which called for a US troops withdrawal from Iraqi cities and towns in the first half of 2009 and pullout of Iraq by the end of 2011.