Saddam-era Figures Freed in Iraq

BBC


A number of former officials in Saddam Hussein's government have been released from detention by US forces in Iraq.
The military has not named any of the detainees, some of whom have already left the country, legal officials said.

"Many were originally held as suspects in possible war crimes and as material witnesses," said a US army spokesman.

Reports have been circulating about a pre-election deal to free former regime figures in order to appease Iraq's Sunni Arabs, correspondents say.

The number of prisoners released range from eight to 26, according to reports.

A US military spokesman in Baghdad, Lt Col Barry Johnson, would only say that eight individuals had been released after they were deemed to no longer present a security threat.

"They were released as part of an ongoing process for many months in full consultation with the Iraqi government," he added.

But a legal official quoted by Associated Press said about 24 prisoners were released, and that they included Dr Rihab Rashid Taha and Dr Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, who worked on the former regime's banned biological weapons programmes.

Ribab Taha is known as "Dr Germ", and Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash has been dubbed "Mrs Anthrax". Both are alleged to have worked on making biological weapons.

Al-Arabiya satellite TV channel said two former ministers and an aide to Saddam Hussein's late son Uday were also reported to be leaving Iraq for Jordan.

The ministers in question were Humam Abdel Khaleq, former minister of higher education, who was also head of the Iraqi Organisation for Atomic Energy, and transport minister Sattam al-Qud, a high ranking Shiite in the former regime, al-Arabiya said.