Iraqi Army takes over Abu Ghraib prison

Photo By 1st Lt. Lawton King | Several Iraqi soldiers from the 1st Iraqi Army Division pose before assuming responsibility for security of Abu Ghraib prison from the U.S. Army. The Iraqi Ministry of Justice, which signed for the facility, will relieve the Iraqi soldiers in several months with security forces of its own.  

ABU GHRAIB, IRAQ

09.03.2006

Story by 1st Lt. Lawton King 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

By 2nd Lt. Lawton King
Regimental Combat Team 5

ABU GHRAIB, Iraq (Sept. 3, 2006) -- As the American flag descended, the Iraqi sun rose.

Friday morning soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division assumed control of the Abu Ghraib prison from U.S. Army Task Force 134. Iraqi soldiers will provide security for the facility until the Iraqi Ministry of Justice dispatches its own security detail.

"Returning the empty prison to the control of the Ministry of Justice clearly says that enforcement of the rule of law is a cornerstone of the constitutional government of Iraq," said Iraqi Col. Monam Hashim Fahed, the battalion commander of 2-4-1.

Marines from 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5 will remain with the Iraqi brigade for a short duration to serve as a training cadre assisting the Iraqi unit through the initial stages of their mission. Additionally, an RCT-5 military transition team that mentored the brigade for roughly the last year will continue to advise Iraqi commanders and supply any requested guidance.

"It highlights the continued responsibility of the Iraqis," said Army Lt. Col. Scott Marley, the military transition team leader attached to 2-4-1.

"The significance is that the Iraqi military is taking the lead in a non-conventional mission," added Army Capt. John Langford, the 29-year-old military transition team intelligence advisor from Auburn, Wash.

The American flag was lowered in a brief turnover ceremony and passed to Army Lt. Col. Stephen Quinn, the 44-year-old battalion commander of 3rd Battalion, 321 Field Artillery Regiment from Virginia Beach, Va., and the outgoing commander of Abu Ghraib security.

• Date Taken: 09.03.2006
• Date Posted: 09.07.2006 10:30
• Story ID: 7655
• Location: ABU GHRAIB, IQ