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| Iraq |
| Coalition Holds 2,000 Prisoners in Umm Qasr; 7,000 Others Released |
| 2003-05-09 |
| Edited for brevity. Seven thousand captured Iraqis have been released from the American internment facility at Umm Qasr, officials there said today. Roughly 2,000 remain captive. Most of those released have been civilians captured during the confusion of war or low-level Iraqi soldiers. Captives are put into one of three categories: enemy prisoner of war, illegal combatants or criminals. Low-level prisoners of war, generally enlisted men, are routinely paroled – roughly 3,700 to date. Parolees sign an agreement that they won't take up arms against American or other coalition forces. They are allowed to return to their military units but only perform administrative or medical duties. They are also required to carry their parole documents with them. More than 3,000 civilians have been released as well. After the vetting process, these individuals are released. Parolees and civilians are provided clothing, food and either transportation or money to get to their hometown or place of capture commercially, generally about $5. Senior military officials and unlawful combatants are not released. Others are being held because they are deemed to warrant "further interrogation by (military intelligence) screening teams" and other investigators. The internment facility is also holding 178 individuals who were caught committing crimes in Iraq. |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #1 Parolees sign an agreement that they won't take up arms against American or other coalition forces. They are allowed to return to their military units but only perform administrative or medical duties. They are also required to carry their parole documents with them. Sounds like pretty much the same deal the "good injuns" got back in the 19th century... "Me sign treaty! See? Have papers..." |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-05-09 13:42:13 |