Iraqi officials called for the release of six women prisoners held by the US military but emphasised that the move had not been made in response to demands set out by the kidnappers of an American reporter.
A Justice Ministry official said that its decision to free six of the eight women held in US-controlled prisons had been taken by a review board last Monday, the day before the kidnappers of Jill Carroll said that they would kill her unless all women prisoners were released by the Americans. “There was no outside pressure on the commission” to release the women, another Human Rights Ministry official said. The women are due to be released in the coming days, leading to hopes that the kidnappers will extend their 72-hour deadline, set on Tuesday night, to murder the freelance journalist if their conditions are not met.
