In Iraq, the US military has released Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein after holding him without charge for two years. The military had once accused Hussein of being a “terrorist media operative who infiltrated the AP.” Upon his release, Hussein said, “I have spent two years in prison even though I was innocent. I thank everybody.” The Committee to Protect Journalists praised the release of Hussein but condemned the US treatment of journalists. Joel Simon, the group’s executive director, said Hussein joins a growing list of journalists detained in conflict zones by the US military. Simon said, “This deplorable practice should be of concern to all journalists. It basically allows the US military to remove journalists from the field, lock them up and never be compelled to say why.” The US is still imprisoning at least two other journalists without charge. Al Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Hajj is being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Jawed Ahmad, a journalist with Canada’s CTV, is at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.