As I recall, it was about 2005/2006 that I first heard the phrase “the Salvador option” in reference to the US occupation of Iraq. There were indications from various sources  that the US military had introduced death squads, “black” detention sites, and a torture regime in order to defeat the so-called insurgency. Given the brutal history of the US military and intelligence agencies in Latin America this development worried many people. Now the UK Guardian and BBC have produced a 50 minute documentary which establishes that the US did indeed fund and organize torture centers in Iraq. One of the central figures of this initiative was James Steele. See

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2013/mar/06/james-steele-america-iraq-video