<p>Iraq’s assumption of control over the base near the international airport on the southwestern outskirts of Baghdad also marks the end of a troubling chapter in the US presence in the country — one defined for years by the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. With the handover, Iraq has now assumed control of the last of three such prisons controlled by US forces.<br /><br />The transfer raises questions about how well prepared the Iraqis are to handle the detainees, with concerns about sectarian tensions spilling over into the prison system. Inmates in Iraqi detention facilities have repeatedly complained about torture and beatings by the police, as well as overcrowding and poor conditions behind bars.<br /><br />Prisoners benefit<br />Prisoners in US custody, meanwhile, have benefited from reforms in the wake of photographs showing mistreatment of inmates by US soldiers at Abu Ghraib in 2004.<br />The American general in charge of detainee centres in Iraq said the Iraqis were ready for the added responsibility.<br /><br />“There is overwhelming evidence they are equipped, prepared and poised to take over,” Maj Gen Jerry Cannon said, stressing that the detainees still being held by the US were under Iraqi jurisdiction.<br /><br />Camp Cropper held members of Saddam’s ousted regime, who were housed in separate quarters from the other prisoners.</p>
<p>Iraq’s assumption of control over the base near the international airport on the southwestern outskirts of Baghdad also marks the end of a troubling chapter in the US presence in the country — one defined for years by the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. With the handover, Iraq has now assumed control of the last of three such prisons controlled by US forces.<br /><br />The transfer raises questions about how well prepared the Iraqis are to handle the detainees, with concerns about sectarian tensions spilling over into the prison system. Inmates in Iraqi detention facilities have repeatedly complained about torture and beatings by the police, as well as overcrowding and poor conditions behind bars.<br /><br />Prisoners benefit<br />Prisoners in US custody, meanwhile, have benefited from reforms in the wake of photographs showing mistreatment of inmates by US soldiers at Abu Ghraib in 2004.<br />The American general in charge of detainee centres in Iraq said the Iraqis were ready for the added responsibility.<br /><br />“There is overwhelming evidence they are equipped, prepared and poised to take over,” Maj Gen Jerry Cannon said, stressing that the detainees still being held by the US were under Iraqi jurisdiction.<br /><br />Camp Cropper held members of Saddam’s ousted regime, who were housed in separate quarters from the other prisoners.</p>