BAGHDAD -- The U.S. military released 100 prisoners from Baghdad's Camp Cropper prison as a goodwill gesture during the Muslim holiday of Eid.
U.S. Marines Maj. Gen. Doug Stone, commander of Multi-National Force Detainee Operations issued a statement in Arabic Wednesday to the prisoners, Kuwait's KUNA news agency reported.
"On this joyful occasion, I would like to take the opportunity to welcome you back to the new, peaceful Iraq," Stone wrote.
Some 850 prisoners have been released this month as part of the program in which prisoners must be screened by a review board and be deemed no longer a threat to national security, the report said.
Before release, the prisoners must also swear an oath before an Iraqi judge to maintain good conduct and avoid violence.
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