US transfers last prison under its control to Iraq

[July 15, 2010]  BAGHDAD (AP) -- The United States has handed over the last detention facility under its control to Iraqi authorities.

The move is a milestone in Iraq's push for complete sovereignty seven years after the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein.

Thursday's transfer of Camp Cropper -- renamed Karkh Prison -- also marks the end of a troubling chapter in a U.S. presence in the country that was blighted by the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.

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THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.
AP's earlier story is below.

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BAGHDAD (AP) -- Police officials say bombs have killed eight people in Iraq, including six in Saddam Hussein's hometown. The attacks took place on the day U.S. forces are to transfer control of the last prison they run to Iraqi authorities.

The U.S.'s handover of Camp Cropper to Iraq on Thursday marks a milestone in the country's road to full sovereignty, as well as the end of a troubling chapter in the U.S.'s presence in Iraq.

But the attacks were a reminder of the challenges confronting Iraq.

Authorities said a car bomb targeting a police patrol killed a senior officer, two policemen and three civilians in the city of Tikrit. Eleven civilians were wounded.

Earlier, a bomb on a Baghdad minibus left two dead and another five people wounded.

[Associated Press; By BARBARA SURK]

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