US 'to free' 500 Iraq detainees

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The US military in Iraq says it will release about 500 detainees on Thursday in a gesture which it says is aimed at fostering goodwill and reconciliation.

No details were given about the identity of those to be freed.

Sunni Arab politicians have repeatedly complained members of their community are discriminated against and form the majority of those being held.

The announcement came a day after US officials in Iraq said nine Iranian detainees would be soon released.

Officials have since confirmed that US forces are holding a total of 20 Iranians in custody.

US forces are thought to hold about 20,000 detainees in Iraq, many of them for long periods and without being formally charged.

Separately, the Iraqi army said 17 decomposing bodies were discovered in a mass grave north-east of Baghdad.

Many of the bodies were handcuffed and blindfolded and police said they had probably been kidnapped at fake checkpoints on a nearby road leading to Baquba.

More graves are expected to be uncovered in the area as US and Iraqi forces were searching parts that were previously too dangerous to enter, Iraqi police said.

Continued sporadic violence was reported from different parts of Iraq, although at much lower levels than a few months ago.

A suicide truck bomb exploded in Kirkuk, injuring bystanders. In Baghdad, a Shia Muslim teacher was killed in drive-by shooting in a Sunni area and two children were killed by mortar fire south of the capital.