Sunni politicians in Iraq have demanded an international investigation into allegations that Shia militias linked to interior ministry tortured and abused prisoners in a secret Baghdad bunker.
The underground bunker, part of a fortified building near the ministry's Baghdad compound, was discovered by US troops during a search on Sunday night in a development likely to fuel sectarian tensions ahead of December 15th parliamentary elections.
Inside they found 173 malnourished and in some cases badly beaten men and teenagers, some of whom showed signs of having been tortured, prime minister Ibrahim Jaafari said yesterday as he ordered an investigation into the chamber's discovery.
A Shia militia suspected of involvement denied any ties to the facility, saying it was being blamed for political reasons and in an effort to discredit Shia before elections.
The discovery of the detainees was a major embarrassment for the US-backed government, which has promised to deliver human rights after decades of dictatorship under Saddam Hussein.
Sunni politician Omar Hujail, of the Iraqi Islamic Party, said it was not the only place where Sunni Arabs were held and tortured.
"We have been telling them for ages that there are people wearing the uniforms of the interior ministry raiding houses at night and arresting people but everybody denied it."
"We urge the United Nations and human rights organisations to denounce these violations and we call on them to conduct a fair international investigation," he told a news conference.
US Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte - under pressure over reports the CIA ran a secret prison system in Eastern Europe - visited Baghdad today, but officials gave no details of his meeting with prime minister Jaafari.
Major General William Webster said US forces would help Iraq investigate the abuse.
"We intend to coordinate with the Iraqis and inspect any detention facility we find out about."
Hadi al-Amery, the head of the Badr Organisation, a militia group that is tightly allied to SCIRI, a powerful Shia Muslim political party in government, denied any link to the bunker.
"This bunker is run by the Interior Ministry, the Americans are there every day," he told reporters.
"Badr has nothing to do with this ... If there was torture we ask for an investigation."
The Badr Organisation, formerly known as the Badr Brigade, was formed in exile in Iran during the 1980s as the armed wing of SCIRI, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which fought Saddam from exile.