Updated

The U.S. military said it released 260 detainees on Saturday after a security review determined they no longer posed a threat.

The review board of six Iraqi officials and three senior coalition officers made the decision of releasing the men, said spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Johnson (search).

More than 9,000 detainees were freed in 2004, with about 1,000 releases occurring in December. The review board set up by coalition forces and the interim Iraqi government began work in August following a torture scandal at the Abu Ghraib (search) prison.

The U.S. military continues to detain some 7,000 people at Camp Bucca near Umm Qasr (search) and Abu Ghraib prison, Johnson said. More than 1,000 detainees will be prosecuted for involvement in insurgent activities, including possessing illegal weapons and attacking coalition troops and Iraqi security forces.