Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 808 Sun. September 03, 2006  
   
International


Abu Ghraib now under Iraqi control


Iraq has regained control of the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, known for a prisoner abuse scandal involving US troops, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Saturday.

"Yesterday, Abu Ghraib prison was handed over by US forces," al-Dabbagh told a news conference. "It is now empty of any detainee or prisoner."

"Now the prison is protected by Iraqi forces and the Iraqi government will look into how to benefit from it in the national interest," he added.

The prison in western Baghdad was a torture centre under former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Photographs of American soldiers abusing Iraqis there in 2003 gave it a new notoriety and made it a touchstone for Arab and Muslim rage over the US occupation.