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Pentagon was looking at Iraqi prisons before abuse charges
Washington, May 04: The US military did a `top-level review` last fall of how its detention centres in Iraq were run, months before commanders first were told about the sexual humiliation and abuse of Iraqis that has created an international uproar, a pentagon official said.
Washington, May 04: The US military did a "top-level review" last fall of how its detention centres in Iraq were run, months before commanders first were told about the sexual humiliation and abuse of Iraqis that has created an international uproar, a pentagon official said.
Larry Di Rita, the top spokesman for Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, yesterday said the review was done at the request of Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the senior American
commander in Iraq.
Di Rita did not say what prompted the review. He said its conclusions were taken into account by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, who began an investigation on Jan. 31 focussed on an unidentified soldier's report of prisoner mistreatment at Abu Ghraib prison.
That second probe led to findings of blatant and sadistic abuse by us military police and perhaps others. That has drawn wide condemnation, particularly with the publication of photos documenting the mistreatment.
Di Rita did not disclose the earlier review's findings, and he said he could not disclose what Taguba found because his report is classified secret and is under review by senior officials.
He said allegations of abuse at Abu Ghraib first came to the attention of commanders in Iraq when an unidentified soldier reported it to his superiors on Jan 13. The next day, Sanchez ordered a criminal investigation, and since then four other probes have begun.
Bureau Report
Di Rita did not say what prompted the review. He said its conclusions were taken into account by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, who began an investigation on Jan. 31 focussed on an unidentified soldier's report of prisoner mistreatment at Abu Ghraib prison.
That second probe led to findings of blatant and sadistic abuse by us military police and perhaps others. That has drawn wide condemnation, particularly with the publication of photos documenting the mistreatment.
Di Rita did not disclose the earlier review's findings, and he said he could not disclose what Taguba found because his report is classified secret and is under review by senior officials.
He said allegations of abuse at Abu Ghraib first came to the attention of commanders in Iraq when an unidentified soldier reported it to his superiors on Jan 13. The next day, Sanchez ordered a criminal investigation, and since then four other probes have begun.
Bureau Report