Report Specifies 'Black Room' of Abuse in Iraq
{{date|March 19, 2006}}

A New York Times report tells of a shadowy military unit named Task Force 6-26 which, in early 2004, used a former Iraqi military base near Baghdad as a top-secret detention center. Inside, American soldiers made one of the former Iraqi government's torture chambers into one of their own, dubbing it the Black Room.

The Black Room was a garage-sized room, painted jet-black and with no windows. Inside, soldiers beat prisoners and abused them verbally. They used them for target practice with paintball guns in a nearby area. The intention was to gain information from the detainees as to the whereabouts of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Salafi Islamist militant, a guerrilla leader, and the putative leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The temporary detention site was part of Camp Narma, the headquarters of Task Force 6-26, and was the first stop for many insurgents before going to the Abu Ghraib prison, which was a few miles away.

== Sources ==

*{{source
|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/19/international/middleeast/19abuse.html?hp&ex=1142830800&en=d312add1d360187e&ei=5094&partner=homepage
|title=In Secret Unit's 'Black Room,' a Grim Portrait of U.S. Abuse
|author=Eric Schmitt and Carolyn Marshall
|pub=New York Times
|date=March 19, 2006}}

[[Category:Iraq]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:North America]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Baghdad]]
[[Category:New York Times]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Islam]]
[[Category:Salafism]]

{{publish}}
{{Archive-unreviewed}}
A New York Times report tells of a shadowy military unit named Task Force 6-26 which, in early 2004, used a former Iraqi military base near Baghdad as a top-secret detention center. Inside, American soldiers made one of the former Iraqi government's torture chambers into one of their own, dubbing it the Black Room.

The Black Room was a garage-sized room, painted jet-black and with no windows. Inside, soldiers beat prisoners and abused them verbally. They used them for target practice with paintball guns in a nearby area. The intention was to gain information from the detainees as to the whereabouts of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Salafi Islamist militant, a guerrilla leader, and the putative leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The temporary detention site was part of Camp Narma, the headquarters of Task Force 6-26, and was the first stop for many insurgents before going to the Abu Ghraib prison, which was a few miles away.
Iraq United States North America Politics and conflicts Baghdad New York Times Religion Islam Salafism