New batch of Iraqi prisoners freed

BAGHDAD, June 22 (UPI) -- U.S. forces released 55 Iraqi prisoners from Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad Tuesday, part of a batch of 140 detainees to be freed in various parts of Iraq.

The released detainees were transported in buses outside the well-guarded prison as their families waited to greet them with rice and cheers.

The release came 24 hours after the trial of three U.S. soldiers on charges of abusing prisoners in Abu Ghraib began in Baghdad.

Several thousands Iraqis are still detained in prisons controlled by coalition forces in various parts of Iraq, as the U.S.-led authority said it will be keeping a number of prisoners in its custody even after the transfer of powers to Iraqis on June 30.