CARLISLE, Pa., May 24 (UPI) -- President Bush Monday announced Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, where pictures of U.S. troops allegedly torturing inmates were taken, would be destroyed.
"Under the dictator, prisons like Abu Ghraib were symbols of death and torture. That same prison became a symbol of disgraceful conduct by a few American troops who dishonored our country and disregarded our values. ...
"With the approval of the Iraqi government, we will demolish the Abu Ghraib prison as a fitting symbol of Iraq's new beginning," Bush said.
The United States will pay for the construction of a new maximum security prison to which Abu Ghraib's current inhabitants will be transferred as part of a humane and well-supervised prison system, Bush said.
The abuse allegations at Abu Ghraib became a worldwide front-page story several weeks ago when the pictures were shown on CBS's "60 Minutes II."
Bush made the promise to demolish the prison in a prime-time speech from the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., during which he outlined a five-point plan to meet the June 30 deadline to transfer sovereignty in Iraq.
