Commanders blamed for Iraq abuses

[DoYouEverWonder]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3703751.stm

Tuesday, 11 May, 2004

A US general who investigated abuses by US soldiers against Iraqis held in jail has blamed failures of leadership for allowing the situation to develop.

Maj Gen Antonio Taguba told a Senate committee there had been no training or supervision, and a lack of discipline.

A few soldiers and civilians conspired to commit "incomprehensible" acts at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad and capture them on film, he said.

But he found no evidence of a policy or specific order directing the abuse.

Gen Taguba, who looked at a number of jails in Iraq, found "numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses" by prison guards at Abu Ghraib in his report.


Rummie and the civilians must have gotten to Tabuga? Of course it's hard to find any evidence of something, if you didn't look for it or you're not allowed to, because that information was not within the realm of your investigation. Taguba was order to investigate, what was going on, with one specific unit, at one specific jail. He is not in a position to make a judgment, about how much further up the Chain of Command, the problem goes.

[lovedems]

1. I am with Hillary and Levin on this one.

There is a cooreltation between Miller going to Iraq to "Gitmoize" the prison for better intelligence and the beginnings of the torture. He was sent by top officials in the pentagon. I am sure they covered his tracks by not giving him "authority" to command but that doesn't mean he didn't make "recommendations". I hope they persue this line of reasoning. They were not terrorist in that prison as Imhofe would have us believe, they were Iraqi citizens who were picked up in broad sweeps, not neccessarily guilty of anything. The republicans cannot be allowed to spin their way out of this and the offering up of the low ranking troops should be the end of the story.

[Shadder]

2. Your close

Miller was a big part of it, but take a close look at Jerry Phillabaum.

[lovedems]

3. I haven't heard of his role yet, can you explain? eom

[Shadder]

7. Read my timeline

It should fill you in on this guy some.

http://www.savinggraves.org/timeline/index.htm

[Just Me]

9. So, they actually approved torture methods in April 2003!!!

Great timeline!!!

:yourock:

[atreides1]

4. General Miller

Wasn't it stated somewhere that Miller was the one who suggested to General Sanchez that tactical control of the prison be turned over to the commander of the 205th MI Brigade?

And that this was, according to General Taguba's report, without precedence?

[lovedems]

5. I know Taguba is saying there wasn't any evidence of "written orders" to

allow this torture, "duh!" like they are going to write it down and post it on the wall! What I gather from the few reports and journalistic investigations was that it was implied this treatment was acceptable.

My husband is totally bummed after watching the hearing today. He is convinced that we have seen the last of the investigations and with the beheading of Berg, they will use that as an excuse not to release the rest of the photos and videos. In other words, we won't get to the truth and Rummy will continue to roll full steam ahead with more failures.

[klook]

6. Yes, but

what about the copies of the photos and videos that are already in circulation? I bet they'll come out, even as the military and Congress try their damnedest to keep the lid on.

[atreides1]

8. Frag Order

The only written orders are the FO that put the 205th MI Brigade in tactical command of the prison, and these were signed by LTG Sanchez.