'Only 29 foreign fighters held in Iraq'

Iraq’s government said today it was holding only 29 foreign fighters at its maximum security prison in Baghdad, throwing into doubt repeated claims foreign insurgents were largely responsible for the violence wracking the country.

Iraq’s government said today it was holding only 29 foreign fighters at its maximum security prison in Baghdad, throwing into doubt repeated claims by US and Iraqi authorities that foreign insurgents were largely responsible for the violence wracking the country.

The small number of fighters was a fraction of the thousands of detainees currently behind bars.