U.S. Optimistic Over The Release Of Thousands Of Iraqi Detainees In 2008

December 26, 2007 1:01 p.m. EST

Baghdad, Iraq (AHN) - United States military in Iraq on Wednesday expressed optimism that most of the thousands of detainees in the war torn region will be released by the end of next year.

The development follows the Iraqi government support for a draft amnesty bill providing for the release of suspected insurgents held captive by U.S. and Iraqi forces.

Under the general pardon law, prisoners who have been held without charge will be freed.

An estimated 50,000 prisoners are in jail, including 24,000 captives in Iraqi jails and 26,000 others in U.S.-run prisons.

The Washington Post earlier reported that the detainees were not conventional prisoners of war, but include "diverse civilian internees from widely divergent political, religious and ethnic backgrounds who are detained on the basis of intelligence available at the time of capture and gathered during subsequent questioning."

Most detainees were arrested as part of a security crackdown in the capital Baghdad.

Meanwhile, a parliamentary debate is expected prior to the bill's ratification .