The Location, Atmosphere, and Situation at Abu Ghraib by September 2003

The military police who served at Abu Ghraib speak of ghosts and darkness and overwhelming sense of hostility. In addition to the squalor and very real death that hung in the air of Saddam Hussein’s most terrible prison, there seemed to be an existential darkness that settled over the troops. The heat was oppressive and the smell was haunting. “I will never forget the smell of Abu Ghraib,” said Israel Rivera, a member of military intelligence. “The smell of sweat and trash and feces and urine wafting through the air. It’s just--I will never forget the smell of Abu Ghraib.” Pictures of Saddam Hussein covered the walls and the troops referred to certain rooms as “death chambers”. The road to Abu Ghraib was deadly, laced with IEDs and targeted by snipers. Abu Ghraib itself was constantly shot at and shelled. It was an extremely vicious environment. The 372nd Military Police Company were told upon arrival that they were going to be prison guards at Abu Ghraib, though they had never received any kind of training for those positions. By the end of September, 2003, there were under 300 military police to guard over 6000 prisoners, according to Janis Karpinski.