US hands over last female detainees in Iraq

[Barrett808]

Source: Associated Press

BAGHDAD – The U.S. military has announced that it is no longer holding female detainees in custody in Iraq.

A U.S. statement says the last 10 female detainees were handed over to Iraqi authorities on Monday. They have either been convicted of a security-related offense or are due to stand trial in the Central Criminal Court of Iraq.

The U.S. still holds about 15,500 detainees. This is down dramatically from the high of about 26,000 in November 2007.

The U.S.-Iraqi security agreement that goes into effect next month requires the U.S. to hand over detainees wanted by the Iraqis and release the rest.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081216/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_detainees