The US military in Iraq declared on Thursday the start of a program to free 50 to 80 detainees a day during Ramadan as security forces went on alert for fear of attack during the Islamic holy month.
Ramadan started on Thursday for the minority Sunni population while the majority Shiites will start the month of dawn to dusk fasting on Friday. "Task Force 134, the (US-led) organization responsible for detainee operations, expects to release between 50 and 80 detainees per day during this holy month," a military statement said, according to AFP.
"The detainees being released are only those who (US-led forces) have determined no longer need to be detained for imperative reasons of security," the task force commander Major General Douglas Stone said in the statement.
Those eligible for release under Operation Lion's Paw, a joint venture between the Iraqi government and US-led forces, will be reviewed by an impartial board, Stone said. "The process will be fair, open to all detainees who are qualified and will reflect the detainee population, with Sunni and Shiite detainees reviewed equally and impartially," the statement said.
"This will be a completely non-sectarian, non-political process" that will allow prisoners to be home for Ramadan.
Iraqi authorities meanwhile have intensified security steps for Ramadan. "Orders have been given to the Iraqi police to be extra alert. They have been told to observe any dubious gatherings or inform bomb squads immediately if they see any car parked on sidewalks," an interior ministry official said.
