Iraq releases 600 prisoners

Iraq has released about 600 prisoners, the first of 2-thousand 500 due to be set free as part of a national reconciliation initiative. The BBC reports that more than 100 prisoners were brought to Baghdad by bus, where each was given a gift of 200 dollars by a Sunni Arab politician. Most prisoners are believed to be held on suspicion of involvement in the insurgency that has gripped the country since 2003. Correspondents say this is expected to be one of the biggest releases of prisoners since US-led forces invaded the country in 2003. About 29-thousand prisoners are believed to be held in US and Iraqi-run jails.