Notorious Abu Ghraib jail closed

Iraqi authorities have closed down a notorious prison west of Baghdad over security concerns, the justice minister said.

Hassan al-Shimmari said that 2,400 inmates have been transferred from Abu Ghraib to other prisons in safer areas of the country.

He said it was a precautionary measure because the Abu Ghraib facility is located in “a restive area”.

The prison is at the edge of the Sunni-dominated Anbar province, which has been engulfed in clashes between an al Qaida splinter group and government forces.

Last July, militants attacked Abu Ghraib and another prison, setting free hundreds of inmates, including many militants. Dozens of other inmates and security personnel were killed in the attack.

Under US troops, Abu Ghraib was at the centre of a 2004 scandal over detainee abuse.