Commander of Coalition Prisons Apologizes

[Barrett808]

Commander of Coalition Prisons Apologizes
By JIM KRANE, Associated Press Writer

ABU GHRAIB, Iraq - The commander of U.S.-run prisons in Iraq apologized Wednesday in the name of the United States and the American people for the "illegal or unauthorized acts" committed by a "small number of our soldiers" at the Abu Ghraib prison.

"I would like to apologize for our nation and for our military for the small number of soldiers who committed illegal or unauthorized acts here at Abu Ghraib," Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller told a group of Arab and western reporters taken by the military on a tour of the prison.

"These are violations not only of our national policy but of how we conduct ourselves as members of the international community," Miller added. "It has brought a cloud over all the efforts of all of our soldiers and we will work our hardest to re-establish the trust that Iraqis feel for the coalition and the confidence people in American have in their military."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040505/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_prisoner_abuse&cid=540&ncid=1480

[LittleApple81]

1. Is he talking about Gitmo too? He was the supervisor there

before being sent to Iraq.

[maddezmom]

2. Miller is part of the widespread and systematic problems

~snip~
We were enormously proud of what we had done in Guantánamo, to be able to set that kind of environment where we were focused on gaining the maximum amount of intelligence," said General Miller, who added that he recently emphasized the message in meetings with American soldiers at Abu Ghraib.

"What I told them was, we are here to be able to enable our forces to win this fight that is ongoing," he said. "Everything we do, we'll do. At the end of the day, you better make sure that what we've done will make America proud."

General Miller, who took over in Iraq about one month ago, said he first came to Iraq last August with a team of about 30 experts to recommend ways of making the detentions and interrogations "more effective and more efficient." One of those recommendations, he said, was to give the military police assigned to guard the Iraqi detainees a more active role in gathering intelligence.

It is a team of military police at Abu Ghraib that are accused of abusing and humiliating the Iraqi prisoners. General Miller said he did not believe that his recommendations contributed to the atmosphere that enabled the group of military police officers to abuse the Iraqi prisoners.

~snip~


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/04/international/middleeast/04CND-WARD.html

[leftchick]

4. EXACTLY mm.... From Taguba's report....

IO COMMENTS ON MG MILLER’S ASSESSMENT

1. (S/NF) MG Miller’s team recognized that they were using JTF-GTMO operational procedures and interrogation authorities as baselines for its observations and recommendations. There is a strong argument that the intelligence value of detainees held at JTF-Guantanamo (GTMO) is different than that of the detainees/internees held at Abu Ghraib (BCCF) and other detention facilities in Iraq. Currently, there are a large number of Iraqi criminals held at Abu Ghraib (BCCF). These are not believed to be international terrorists or members of Al Qaida, Anser Al Islam, Taliban, and other international terrorist organizations. (ANNEX 20)

2. (S/NF) The recommendations of MG Miller’s team that the “guard force” be actively engaged in setting the conditions for successful exploitation of the internees would appear to be in conflict with the recommendations of MG Ryder’s Team and AR 190-8 that military police “do not participate in military intelligence supervised interrogation sessions.” The Ryder Report concluded that the OEF template whereby military police actively set the favorable conditions for subsequent interviews runs counter to the smooth operation of a detention facility. (ANNEX 20)


.....and now this whacko is back to FIX the prison?!? Yes we need OPEN Congressional Hearings today!

[many a good man]

11. Miller's policy WAS the problem

The recommendations of MG Miller’s team that the “guard force” be actively engaged in setting the conditions for successful exploitation of the internees would appear to be in conflict...

It was HIS idea to turn MPs into interrogators and for "softening them up." Does he STILL recommend doing this???

[maddezmom]

13. YES he does, read this article...lots of details of Miller's involvement

<<A major outcome of that visit was a recommendation to consolidate military intelligence operatives, who supervise interrogations, and military police, who oversee detainees. In November, a military intelligence brigade was put in overall control of Abu Ghraib, while a separate military police brigade continued to run detention operations.

In March, an investigator, Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, concluded that the decision led to a lack of communication and fragmentation of authority and created conditions for the abuses to occur.

On Tuesday, Miller defended the command structure he championed. He said his recommendations were only partially implemented. He did not dispute Taguba's findings directly, but said that effective leadership could solve the problem. "Since I am the overall authority, I am the integrator," he said.

He added: "I am absolutely confident that every recommendation was not only appropriate but did and would have made this operation more effective and more efficient." >>>



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A707-2004May4_2.html

[Just Me]

9. He's obviously part of the vast cover-up that took place. n/t

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

3. Small number? What makes him think so?

That's no apology. That's a cover-up.

[maddezmom]

5. interesting wording: "committed illegal or unauthorized acts"

I would like to apologize for our nation and for our military for the small number of soldiers who committed illegal or unauthorized acts here at Abu Ghraib," Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller told a group

So the abuse and torture that was authorized Miller isn't apologizing for??? :puke:

[readmylips]

6. Now go away...it's all taken care of..

Funny, but while this guy Miller was doing his song and dance, cover-my ass routing, the jail in the insert showed beautiful bunk beds, clean colorful sheets, clean floors, clean windows, etc. More like a TV set. Then, they showed the outside of the Abu jail...which is a complete wreck. Then, the fok Miller ended with ...'we have made great improvements at Abu.

[saigon68]

7. I for one have no intention of allowing this to go away

If the press had any balls this should be more popular than KOBE, SCOTT PETERSON, MICHAEL JACKSON PHIL SPECTOR, AMERICAN IDOL and all the rest.

[drfemoe]

8. I cried when I heard this on NPR

Prison commander apologizes; invites humanitarian groups inside
5/5/2004 1:30 PM
By: Associated Press

Abu Ghraib, Iraq-(AP) -- The International Red Cross and an Iraqi human rights commission are being invited to set up shop inside the U.S.-run prison near Baghdad that's become the center of controversy.

That word comes from Major General Geoffrey Miller, who's apologized today for the photos that show inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison being abused by smiling U.S. guards.

Miller, who's in charge of detention facilities in Iraq, says officials will work hard to "re-establish the trust" that he says Iraqis feel for the coalition.
<snip>
http://www.news24houston.com/content/headlines/?ArID=28388&SecID=2

Morning Edition has more >
http://www.npr.org/display_pages/features/feature_1872094.html

** sorry didn't see b4 posting dupe thread **

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x532602

[ConcernedCanuk]

10. dammm - reposting from locked tread, from the Toronto Star

.
.
.

U.S. apologizes to abused prisoners

Some interrogation techniques to be discontinued, general says


JIM KRANE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
May. 5, 2004. 05:02 PM

ABU GHRAIB -

/snip/

"Those acts are illegal and cannot be used," said Payne, commander of the Texas-based 504th Military Intelligence Brigade. "If people are doing them they are doing them without guidance."

Miller, former commander of the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said he would halt or restrict some interrogation methods, especially eight to 10 "very aggressive techniques."

Those include hooding, stress positioning and sleep deprivation, which he said are now banned without specific approval.

:wtf: "without specific approval" - THAT's comforting!

/snip/

Prison authorities did not allow the journalists to speak to or photograph detainees.

/end/ . . .

now THAT tells us how "open" the US is going to be about all of this

[Just Me]

12. That almost indicates an effort to continue a cover up. Geez! n/t

[ConcernedCanuk]

14. You are being awful polite!

.
.
.

I am of the opinion that there is only damage control on the minds of the US's Administration.

I believe that the Administration is NOT motivated by any ingrained sense of decency.

I think that all they want to do is to find and cover-up the other abuses, more than likely kill Iraqis that have been abused so they won't talk.

And I think alot of the World believes the same.

It has NOT gone unnoticed, and is being reported on Canadian Television (CBC and CTV), and the British BBC, that despite all the pontification of George Bush

HE DID NOT APOLOGIZE!

and he won't