Gulf War ex-POW: Abuse claims horrifying

[maddezmom]

LONDON, England (CNN) -- As controversy swirls about images allegedly showing U.S. and British soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners, CNN anchor Monita Rajpal spoke to John Nichol, an Royal Air Force navigator who was shot down, taken prisoner and tortured during the 1991 Gulf War.

RAJPAL: What goes through your mind when you see these photographs?

NICHOL: Two reactions: obviously we're still questioning whether the British photos are real or not, but it doesn't really matter because the damage has already been done. But specifically with the American photographs coming out of Abu Ghraib, a prison that I spent some time in during the first Gulf War in 1991 -- a brutal place, a horrific place.

I feel saddened that British or American forces would commit such acts on prisoners -- regardless of what those prisoners have done. I heard someone saying on a news channel coming out of the United States that those are the sorts of things that the Iraqis would do to us so it doesn't matter.

But that's no justification. We went to Iraq to say our standards are better ... we are coming to bring democracy ... we are coming to stop this abuse. This is the kind of abuse I suffered in Abu Ghraib and it's shocking and horrifying to think that American and British forces could do the same to Iraqi prisoners 13 years after the event.

~snip~
more: http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/03/iraq.nichol/

[Ziggy_0253]

1. We had a golden opportunity...

And now we've blown it. First, Bush didn't finish Afghanistan. We could have set the example there by finishing up repairing that country.

But no, he was so hot to settle the score with Saddam for his Pop that he dropped the Afghans like a hot potato.

Now comes this outrage. We had a golden opportunity to show what the REAL America is all about, and Bush blew it.

[apnu]

3. Great point Ziggy!

People need to hear that more. People need to understand the shift from Afghanistan to Saddam, people need to know what this rogue chief executive is/has done.

[Gman]

4. Bush's history is that he doesn't finish anything

his entire life. If he's not elected in November, he won't even finish this.

[newyawker99]

5. Hi Ziggy_0253!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Ironpost]

6. Missed opportunity,

is an understatement. Has this S O B not blew every opportunity he's had concerning terror... What a total failure

[revcarol]

2. The demonizing of a whole people, and particularly anyone

ACCUSED of anything to do with Saddam has lead to this situation.

Further, the PRIVATIZING OF SECURITY FORCES AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE has contributed.No one is accountable to anyone.

And I agree with poster #1. We could have done a good job in Afghanistan,most there were anxious for change from the Taliban,"we" just didn't want to pour national $$ into a poor country without raking in profits and resources.