Camp Cropper

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Camp Cropper is the name of a holding facility for security detainees operated by the United States Army near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. The facility was initially operated as a high-value detention site (HVD), but has since been expanded increasing its capacity from 163 to 2,000 detainees.^[1] Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was held there awaiting the death penalty and was cared by Master Sergeant Robert Ellis. Saddam was tranferred to the Iraqi government and was executed on December 30th 2006, at approximately 03:00 UTC. See Execution of Saddam Hussein for main article. [1]

Camp Cropper was established by the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 115th Military Police Battalion in April 2003. Almost immediately after being established, it was designated as the site for the Corps Holding Area (CHA). Initially, the facility was meant to serve as "central booking" for the US forces operating in Baghdad and central Iraq, though detainees from northern Iraq were brought there as well. The original concept called for a small temporary camp that could hold up to 300 detainees for no more than 72 hours. After being processed at Camp Cropper detainees were supposed to be shipped to other detention facilities in Baghdad and throughout Iraq. However, in practice, this proved unworkable since most other prisons in Baghdad were badly damaged by looting after the fall of the Baath regime. This resulted in overcrowding and at one point shortly after the end of the war, Camp Cropper held over 1500 detainees.

In June 2004, The Pentagon confirmed a report in the New York Times that CIA chief George Tenet —who stepped down from the post in July 2004— was allowed by former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to have an Iraqi prisoner secretly detained at Camp Cropper since November, preventing the International Committee of the Red Cross from monitoring his treatment, in violation of the Geneva Conventions. Rumsfeld later told reporters that the prisoner was treated humanely.

In 2004, the Red Cross was given regular and open access to the facility and the detainees.

In August 2006, a new hospital was opened near Baghdad International that would treat both coalition soldiers and detainees from Camp Cropper. The hospital was staffed by members of the 21st Combat Support Hospital from Fort Hood, Texas who transferred to the new facility after the closure of the Abu Ghraib detention facility.^[2]

Between October and December 2006, MNF-I reported the deaths of three detainees at Camp Cropper. One from injuries inflicted by other detainees on October 29^[3] , and one each on November 30 and December 2 from natural causes.^[4]^[5] During the same time period, MNF-I reported the deaths of 4 other detainees at Camp Bucca.

On March 15, 2007 military officials announced plans to once again expand Camp Bucca and Camp Cropper. Officials stated that this increase in capacity would be necessary to handle the detainees generated from the increased security operations in Baghdad. At the time of the report, Camp Cropper's detainee population stood at 3,300 .^[6]

The facility was scheduled to be shut down after the June 2004 handover date of Iraqi sovereignty, but was in fact expanded in 2005 and as of March 2007 the Camp is still being used.^[7]