CAIRO, January 16 (IslamOnline.net) - Two US defense firms involved in the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal were awarded new multi-million contracts despite demands by American human rights groups to bar them from doing business with the government, a leading British newspaper said Sunday, January 16.

The US Department of Defense awarded CACI International, which employed almost half of interrogators and analysts at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, with a $16 million renewal of its contracts while the Titan firm was given a new contract worth $164 million, The Observer said.

CACI civilian contractors were charged with using dogs to scare Iraqi detainees, placing detainees in unauthorized “stress positions” and encouraging US soldiers to abuse prisoners, the British daily said.

Titan employees were also accused of beating Iraqi detainees and watching while US jailers physically abused prisoners.

Three civilians contractors of the two firms were named in abuse cases.

Steven Stefanowicz from CACI International was accused of giving orders that “equated to physical abuse,” John Israel from Titan of lying under oath and his college Adel Nakhla of raping an Iraqi boy, The Observer said.

The Abu Ghraib scandal exploded onto the world stage on April 29 after the CBS news network published several graphic photos of Iraqi detainees tortured and sexually abused by American jailers.

Since then the scandal has been deepening, exposing more elements and factors about interrogation techniques approved by US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who has been under domestic and international pressure to step down.

In June, the Human Rights Watch (HRW ) issued a report entitled "The Road To Abu Ghraib" linking the abuse of detainees in Iraq , Afghanistan and Guantanamo to the policies adopted by US President George W. Bush in his so-called war on terror.