NEW YORK, United States: Prisoners in US custody in Iraq face routine torture even after the 2004 Abu Ghraib scandal, with military leaders taking little or no action to curb abuses, according to a human rights group.

In a report released Sunday, based on first-hand accounts from American military personnel, human rights watch detailed maltreatment of detainees that ranged from severe beatings and sleep deprivation to exposure to extreme temperatures.

The abuses were not just ignored but also actively organised by the military chain of command, the New York-based rights watchdog alleged.

"Soldiers were told that the Geneva conventions did not apply and that interrogators could use abusive techniques to get detainees to talk," said John Sifton, author of the 53-page report.

"These accounts rebut US government claims that torture and abuse in Iraq was unauthorized and exceptional -- on the contrary, it was condoned and commonly used," Sifton said.

According to American military about 14,000 prisoners are currently held in American-run detention centres in Iraq.

To date, not a single military intelligence officer has been court-martialed in connection with abuse allegations in Iraq, report said.