Camp Cropper was a detention facility maintained by the United States Army in Iraq. The facility was located near Baghdad International Airport, and it was in operation from 2003 to 2010.

Initially, Camp Cropper was a holding facility for prisoners of war. Over time, it became one of the main detention centers in Iraq, along with Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca. The prison was named after Chief Warrant Officer Edgar Rex Cropper, a helicopter pilot who died in a crash in 1999.

Camp Cropper was known for housing high-risk and high-profile detainees. Perhaps the most famous detainee was Saddam Hussein, the former President of Iraq, who was held there before his trial and subsequent execution in 2006.

The facility was originally a tent camp, but it evolved into a more permanent structure due to the ongoing need for detainee operations. At its peak, it was reported to house several thousand detainees. The living conditions and treatment of detainees at Camp Cropper, as with other U.S. detention facilities in Iraq, were subjects of controversy and criticism.

Camp Cropper’s facilities included interrogation rooms, medical facilities, and educational programs designed to rehabilitate and reintegrate detainees. The U.S. military made efforts to improve conditions in response to criticism, with initiatives that included vocational training and more family visitation for detainees.

In 2010, the U.S. military transferred control of Camp Cropper to the Iraqi government, as part of the broader plan to transfer security responsibilities to Iraqi forces. The facility was renamed Karkh Prison after the transfer. The handover marked an end to U.S. detention operations in Iraq, a significant milestone in the drawdown of U.S. forces in the country.