US military releases nine Iranian detainees

Baghdad(DPA) : Nine Iranians, detained on a charge of supplying arms to Iraqi insurgents, were released Friday by the multinational forces in Iraq, the US military here reported.

The release followed a careful review of individual records to determine whether they posed a security threat to Iraq, the statement added.


Support TwoCircles

Iran had always insisted that five of the nine detainees were diplomats.

US forces had detained five staff from the Iranian consulate in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region, over charges of offering assistance to armed groups in Iraq.

Iran denied the allegations and argued that the personnel were diplomats, a claim rejected by the US.

Separately, a ceremony was held in Baghdad Thursday marking the planned release of almost 500 detainees, the US military in Iraq reported.

An average of 50 detainees have been released daily, but only after they are no longer deemed to be an immediate threat to Iraqi and coalition forces and the security of Iraq, the military said.

Some 2,050 prisoners have been freed since the launch of the campaign at the start of the Muslim month of Ramadan in mid-September.

Approximately one third of the detainees were released Thursday, while the remaining two-thirds will be released within the next several days.

Meanwhile, the US Defence Department announced Friday the death of two soldiers in two separate attacks in Iraq.

Captain Benjamin D Tiffner, 31, of West Virginia, died Wednesday in the Iraqi capital Baghdad of wounds suffered when he was hit by a bomb.

Sergeant Lui Tumanuvao, 29, of Fagaalu, died Wednesday in Arab Jabour of wounds suffered when he was targeted by a bomb during combat operations.

SUPPORT TWOCIRCLES HELP SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND NON-PROFIT MEDIA. DONATE HERE