Iraq Press Roundup

Al Mada newspaper, on its front page, reported that the head of the Iraqi National Security Council, Muafaq al-Rubaie, announced the release of 17 well-known members of the Sadr movement from U.S. prisons.

The paper said this release comes as the Iraqi leadership has pressed the government to release the prisoners. Al Rubaie told the paper the government acknowledged the prisons had many problems.

"This is the reason why we are working now on solving these problems and setting up policies to guarantee the prisoners' release," he said.

Al Taakhi on Thursday quoted Ali al-Dabbagh, spokesman for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, as saying the Council of Ministers will reconsider the position of private security companies in Iraq "in a way that suits Iraqi laws."

The comments follow U.S. firm Blackwater’s alleged assault on Iraqi civilians on Sept. 16, resulting in several civilian fatalities. The Iraqi government ordered the firm out of the country, and Baghdad and Washington are working to ensure similar incidents do not occur again.

Shebaab Al Iraq newspaper reported Thursday that oil unions in cooperation with Southern Oil employees organized a strike Wednesday after U.S. forces killed oil engineer-in-chief Talib Aboud.

The paper reported that Hassan Jumaa, the head of Oil Union workers, said: "This assault and many others that the foreign forces have committed against our workers make us demand they put an end to these behaviors."

In a statement that Jumaa read to protesters, he demanded the Iraqi government stand against these crimes by foreign forces who have been humiliating the Iraqi people.

Al Adala newspaper reported Thursday that violence has dropped in Baghdad since the start of a security plan in February.

The report said Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf from the Interior Ministry announced "violence has decreased 80 percent since August.”

The paper said the decrease in violence is due to security efforts that began in Baghdad six months ago.