The full extent of US soldiers' abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib became apparent for the first time yesterday with the leak of a report of the US Army's internal investigation.
Almost two years after the first pictures of naked and humiliated prisoners emerged, the American online magazine Salon posted a story saying it had obtained the fullest photographic catalogue of the mistreatment yet.
It said it included 1,325 photographs and 93 video clips of suspected abuse of detainees, 546 photos of suspected dead detainees, 660 images of adult pornography and 29 pictures of US troops engaged in simulated sex. All were dated between 18 October and 30 December 2003.
Coming a day after Australian television aired previously unseen footage from the prison, the revelations come at a bad time for Washington. A spokesman for the Pentagon said the released images "could only further inflame and possibly incite unnecessary violence in the world".
The 18 images Salon chose to publish show ritualistic humiliation - the now-recognisable heaps of naked Iraqi men; some hooded, others wearing women's underwear on their heads.
They reveal the seeming normality of such scenes within Abu Ghraib: one photo shows Staff Sergeant Ivan "Chip" Frederick, tried for his role in the scandal, clipping his fingernails next to an Iraqi standing on a box wearing a hood and electrical wires. In another, a sergeant can be seen filling out paperwork while a naked, hooded prisoner cowers in the background. Others show a blood-streaked cell and a beaten corpse.
Salon said it was leaked the material by a military source familiar with the investigation and who had spent time at Abu Ghraib.
One of several newly published pictures from Abu Ghraib. Wikimedia Commons has similar and more graphic pictures  here
The online magazine, Salon.com claims to have received a DVD containing what may be all of the material from an Army investigation into the infamous Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.

According to Salon's report, the DVD includes an investigative report by the Army's Criminal Investigation Command (CID).  In a report by Special Agent James E. Seigmund, the summary of the content includes, "a total of 1,325 images of suspected detainee abuse, 93 video files of suspected detainee abuse, 660 images of adult pornography, 546 images of suspected dead Iraqi detainees, 29 images of soldiers in simulated sexual acts, 20 images of a soldier with a Swastika drawn between his eyes, 37 images of Military Working dogs being used in abuse of detainees and 125 images of questionable acts."

Salon claims their source is a uniformed officer who spent time at Abu Ghraib and is familiar with the CID investigation.  The DVD of material is described as all from a period of October 18, 2003 to December 30,2003.

In reporting on Salon's scoop, the Guardian reported that a Pentagon spokesman said recent reports, "could only further inflame and possibly incite unnecessary violence in the world".  Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the Prime Minister of Iraq condemned the abuse, whilst pointing out that members of US Forces had already been punished for it. 

Whilst the Salon report concedes that prosecutions related to the abuse continue, it notes that none of the CIA interrogators who were said to operate at the prison have been prosecuted and no high-ranking officer or official has yet been charged in relation to the abuse.