US military frees two journalists held in Iraq

US military frees two journalists held in Iraq
The US military has freed two Iraqi journalists who work for the Reuters news agency, after holding them for several months without charge.
Ali al-Mashhadani, a television cameraman who was arrested in August, and Majed Hameed, a correspondent for Reuters and Arabiya television who was detained in September, are both based in Ramadi, one of the centres of a Sunni Arab insurgency.
They were freed from Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison after being held there and at Camp Bucca, a US jail in southern Iraq.
At least three other Iraqi journalists working for international media, including a freelance cameraman working for Reuters in the northern town of Tal Afar, remain in custody.
Reuters has urged the US military also to free Samir Mohammed Noor, who has been held without charge since his arrest by Iraqi troops at his home in Tal Afar seven months ago. A cameraman for US television network CBS in Mosul has been held since April.
"We are delighted that Ali and Majed are now free although we continue to have grave doubts about the way in which they were held for so long without charge," Reuters Global Managing Editor David Schlesinger said.
"We hope that Samir will also be able to rejoin his family soon."
- Reuters