Joy, Tears and Chaos as U.S. Frees Iraqi Prisoners

[Barrett808]

Joy, Tears and Chaos as U.S. Frees Iraqi Prisoners
By Suleiman al-Khalidi

ABU GHRAIB, Iraq (Reuters) - The U.S. Army freed scores of Iraqi prisoners Thursday, a day after announcing an amnesty for low-threat detainees rounded up over the past eight months.

Around 60 prisoners were driven in U.S. military trucks from the notorious Abu Ghraib jail, west of Baghdad, and left by the roadside not far away, where they were met by jubilant friends and relatives.

A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Baghdad said the process of releasing prisoners under the amnesty had begun, but would not say specifically if those freed in a swirl of publicity Thursday came under the new program.

The U.S. military has about 9,500 people in detention throughout Iraq and releases some almost every day, most of them people who have been held for 72 hours or less. Troops also detain new suspects every day in raids across Iraq.

...

One man said that now he was out he would take any opportunity to attack American troops.

"I'm free, but now I will attack them," he said.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040108/wl_nm/iraq_prisoners_dc

[DuctapeFatwa]

1. The crusaders consider their release of a few dozen kidnap victims

to a status of "probation" as a goodwill gesture.

I call them kidnap victims because the regime does not consider them prisoners of war, and in all fairness, since what is being done in Iraq is not so much a war as an invasion and occupation as a prelude to colonization, they are kidnap victims.

[anarchy1999]

2. Everyone needs to go and RATE THIS A 5 at Yahoo.

Please.

[louis-t]

3. done

[nomaco-10]

4. I saw a segment on CNN....

It was heartbreaking to watch. bushco* has ruined the lives of
so many, lives interrupted that will never be the same and then there are the dead... so many dead.
This administration has alot to answer for. god help us all if he
is selected for another four year reign of terror.

[leftchick]

5. in competion with saddam...

I would wager he is responsible for as many ruined/killed/maimed lives as saddam. If not more.... :grr:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

6. BBC News...

this morning showed images from in front of one of the prisons prisoners might be released from. There were 100 folks total that are supposed to be released from all the prisons and there had to have been five times that number of family members waiting outside in hopes it was their loved one. And that was just at ONE prison.

They say we have 9,500 but I can't imagine how many we must really have...