by TChris

More than 600 detainees were released from Abu Ghraib today, to the joy of their families, friends, and supporters.

Raising their voices in slow, melodic chants of "God is Greater," hundreds of Iraqis took over a highway in front of Abu Ghraib prison today to greet busloads of men freed from months of detention. Women wept and clung to each other as they strained to glimpse husbands or sons through the dusty windows of each bus that bounced along the dirt road leading out of the prison and rolled past them onto the highway. Men whistled and pumped their fists into the air in a show of solidarity.

The emotional scene at the prison was a testament to the extent that Iraqis have banded together in their outrage over the abuse, which Iraqi citizens have said reminded them of the treatment prisoners suffered under Saddam Hussein.

About 3,000 detainees remain, down from a high of 7,000. Most have been held without charges. More are expected to be released before June 30.