The U.S. military says the number of detainees held by coalition forces in Iraq has dropped to less than 14,000 from a peak of 26,000 in 2007.
The military said in a statement released Tuesday that the prisoners are being freed or transferred to Iraqi custody to meet the requirements of a security agreement that took effect on January 1.
The military also said that beginning last month coalition forces have released an average of 50 detainees a day.
American forces in Iraq can no longer hold suspects without charge as they have done since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The agreement requires American troops to hand over detainees wanted by the Iraqis and release the rest.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
