Source: Petraeus Wants to Release All Photos Showing Detainee Treatment

Gen. David Petraeus, along with a number of other high ranking military officials, believe all the pictures related to allegations of detainee abuse should be released -- a number that would total in the thousands -- a senior defense official close to the U.S. military commander told FOX News.

The White House, Pentagon, and Department of Justice agreed this week they could no longer effectively argue their case to keep sealed the photos showing U.S. troops potentially abusing prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As it stands, the Pentagon plans to release hundreds of photos related to the case and is choosing not to include the substantial number of additional photos submitted as evidence, many of which did not lead to disciplinary action.

Petraeus on his own is not in a position to change that decision, although it's possible his influence, along with other high ranking officials, could sway the Defense Department toward releasing thousands of photos between now and May 28, the deadline agreed to by the government in resolving a 2004 lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Petraeus and others believe an advantage in getting all of them out would be to avoid going through this process again.

But the Defense Department would rather release the hundreds of photos and match them with the disciplinary action taken in order to potentially soften the blow, sources have told FOX News.

Releasing thousands of photos would go beyond what the ACLU has asked for because not all the photos were deemed to illustrate illegal activity.