US, British holding 10,000 prisoners in Iraq [View All]

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Over 350 foreigners are among about 10,000 detainees being held in US-run prisons in Iraq, Iraq's Human Rights Minister Bakhtiar Amin Over says. "US forces told us on December 23 that they are holding 353 foreign terrorists," Mr Amin said.

He says they include: 61 Egyptians, 59 Saudis, 56 Syrians, 40 Jordanians, 35 Sudanese, 22 Iranians, 10 Tunisians, 10 Yemenis, eight Palestinians and five Lebanese, among others. US military detainee operations spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Barry Johnston refused to comment on the figures. "I will not confirm numbers of specific nationalities held among foreign fighters," Lt Col Johnston said.

"As a matter of policy, we only share those numbers with government officials."Both the Iraqi and US governments blame foreigners mainly from Syria and Iran for much of the violence in the country.

Mr Amin says 4,691 prisoners were being held in Camp Bucca near the southern port city of Umm Qasr, 3,411 in Abu Ghraib west of Baghdad and 818 in Al-Shuaiba British controlled Basra. He also says that 104 are being held in Camp Cropper, near Baghdad's airport, where Saddam and other so-called "high-value" detainees are located.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1273053.htm