The Army Reserve unit tarnished by the Abu Ghraib detainee-abuse scandal has been mobilized to return to Iraq in its first deployment since photographs of naked, humiliated prisoners surfaced more than six years ago, the Army said Friday.
The 372nd Military Police Company of Cresaptown will leave April 29 for one to three months of training at Fort Bliss, Texas, followed by a planned deployment to Iraq, said Sgt. Darius Kirkwood, a spokesman for the 200th Military Police Command at Fort Meade. Few members of the unit remain from when the detainee photographs were taken, due to normal turnover, he said.
Kirkwood said the group's final destination could change, depending on the military's needs.
The 130 to 170 MPs could be assigned to guard or transport prisoners, provide security for an installation or convoy, or perform general police functions, Kirkwood said.
He dismissed questions about whether the 372nd's return to Iraq could provoke a hostile response. Militants there have used Abu Ghraib photographs to incite anti-American sentiment.
"I think that if that were a big enough concern, if anyone would think that was that big of an issue, this unit would not be deploying as it is," he said.
By: Brant
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