A spokesman gave no date for reopening the jail, but said a committee had been formed to oversee reconstruction.

He said part of the new site would be given over to a museum showing the crimes committed under the former regime of Saddam Hussein.

However, no mention will be made of the facility's more recent history.

For many people, the name Abu Ghraib became synonymous with the worst aspects of America's involvement with Iraq.

In 2004, pictures emerged of US soldiers standing proudly over hooded Iraqi prisoners.

Many inmates were forced to commit humiliating and degrading acts.

The prison, which is located to the west of Baghdad, was handed over to Iraqi control, and then closed in 2006.

The United States has made considerable efforts to improve the conditions at its remaining prisons in Iraq.

Almost 20,000 people are still being held by the US. Only a tiny number are ever charged or convicted of any crime.


BBC