Pentagon is locked in 'intelligence war' with terror suspects in Cuba

[Judi Lynn]

Published Tuesday
November 25, 2003

Pentagon is locked in 'intelligence war' with terror suspects in Cuba


WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States is fighting a "raging intelligence war" with terrorism suspects held at a prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a senior Pentagon official says.

Satisfactory progress is being made in extracting useful information, despite the wall of hatred and defiance the prisoners throw daily at their questioners, said Thomas O'Connell, who oversees Pentagon policy on the holding, interrogation and release of suspects at Guantanamo.

Interrogations are conducted 24 hours a day, seven days a week, O'Connell said Monday. "It's being conducted with a great sense of urgency," he said.

Several of the approximately 660 detainees have provided timely information that has helped avert terrorist attacks and led to more arrests, he said. Others refuse to cooperate.

In some other cases, U.S. officials have been unable to obtain basic information to determine whether prisoners are in a position to know much of value.

"Time is a double-edged sword, because we're finding that the longer some stay, the more they talk," said O'Connell, a former Army intelligence officer. On the other hand, the longer it takes to get them talking, the more outdated their information becomes. (snip/...)

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=54&u_sid=928247&PHPSESSID=e8ce409f7d6900b565a3ef12aeb6929d

[el_gato]

1. more propaganda

gotta have enemies don't we?

how many "terrorists" have they created since 9/11?

[xchrom]

2. the more outdated their information becomes

i bet that doesn't take long.
toture and extreme measures yield iffy results at best anyway.
oh that's right -- we don't torture -- i forgot my daily propaganda pill -- i better go take it.

[psychopomp]

5. After 2 years they don't know shite

And why is everything a "war" or "battle," anyway?

[Jacobin]

6. exactly

what the hell would they know about anything after two years? All the players may have changed and certainly targets and tactics.

Propaganda

[Vitruvius]

9. "Why is everything a 'war'or 'battle'?" Because then our Gitmo torturers

can think of themselves as brave 'warriors' fighting glorious 'battles'. Instead of thinking of themselves as the cowardly scumbucket torturers they are.

By-the-way, the Nazi interrogation specialists, concentration camp guards, and the like used similar rationalizations. So they could feel good about their unspeakable crimes.

P.S: Being a torturer is such a nice, safe job for a cowardly but militant chickenhawk. How else can a wimpy chickenhawk feel like a big hero -- in perfect safety, while others are doing the fighting?

[bobthedrummer]

8. Truth Serum and Torture precede many a "talk" IMO

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2002/060402a.html

[Voltaire99]

3. Long-winded way of saying, "The torture isn't working." (n/t)

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. talk about an asymmetrical 'war'

Jailers can do what they want, while the prisoners strike back with devastating "hatred and defiance the prisoners throw daily at their questioners". Weapons of Mass Defiance, anyone?

If that's a war, then I guess voting against Bush next year is treason after all. And Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance Strength. Do you think they've threatened the prisoners with rats yet?

[NoKingGeorge]

7. I thought the majority of these guys were picked up wandering

around the battle field in Afganistan two years ago. They were Taliban who did not run fast enough to keep up with the others.Very few at Gitmo would be al-queda with any inside knowledge. Those with any recent intel are being 'persuaded' to talk in countries that will not expose awol's uS.

[bobthedrummer]

10. Then there is the secrecy about the detainees

nothing.
BTW, there have been several incidences of mysterious deaths among guards or others, then there is the Chaplin and translator "spy case" at Gitmo-what an operation.:puke:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. Early reports indicated that roughly 60% were just ordinary Afghans...

...who found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.