Many Iraq Prison Abuses Occurred in November (Guardian; AP)

[VolcanoJen]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4117126,00.html

Excerpt:

Many of the worst abuses that have come to light from the Abu Ghraib prison happened on a single November day amid a flare of insurgent violence in Iraq, the deaths of many U.S. soldiers and a breakdown of the American guards' command structure.

Nov. 8 was the day U.S. guards took most of the infamous photographs: soldiers mugging in front of a pile of naked, hooded Iraqis, prisoners forced to perform or simulate sex acts, a hooded prisoner in a scarecrow-like pose with wires attached to him.

It was unclear Friday whether most or all of the new pictures and video published by The Washington Post depicted events on Nov. 8. At least one photo, showing Spc. Charles Graner Jr. with his arm cocked as if to punch a prisoner, is described in military court documents as having been taken that day.

<snip>

The abuse came during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and reflection. The abused Iraqis, Sivits said, had been suspected of taking part in a prison riot that day. They were held at Abu Ghraib on suspicion of common crimes, not attacks on U.S. forces, said Col. Marc Warren, the top legal adviser to Iraqi commander Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez.

The day of abuse - a Saturday - capped what had been the worst week for U.S. troops in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion. Nearly three dozen had been killed in a surge of attacks that left some other soldiers frustrated and frightened. Insurgents had attacked the Abu Ghraib prison and other U.S. bases in the area with mortars several times in previous weeks.

[thebigidea]

1. sorry, Guardian - but how NAIVE. It wasn't just a "day of abuse"

one day amidst many other "days of abuse" - that disc was a snapshot view of a Day in the Life in Hell...

[duvinnie]

7. abuse?

I think torture is more like it no?

[bemildred]

2. Bullshit. nt

[daleo]

3. Isn't Thanksgiving in November

There may indeed have been a spike in activity, for the benefit of a certain special guest.

On edit - I see they are talking about Nov 8, and Thanksgiving is a couple of weeks later. However, there may have been some pressure to have something to show off on Thanksgiving (intelligence), assuming the planned trip was known of by at least a few key personell at the prison.

Also, to be fair to the Guardian they do use the qualifier "abuses that have come to light", and are not necessarily saying all the torture happened that day, just those in the photos released so far.

[UpInArms]

4. Timeline of events in Iraq around abuse

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/lateststories/index.ssf?/base/national-24/108516236452030.xml

The Associated Press
5/21/2004, 1:54 p.m. ET

(AP) — A timeline of events surrounding Nov. 8, the day many of the
abuses are alleged to have occurred at the Abu Ghraib prison:

_ Aug. 14, 2003: U.S. military in Iraq begins contracting for interrogators with CACI International Inc. under a $19.9 million contract.

_ Aug. 19: Car bomb explodes at United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, killing 22, including top U.N. envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.

_ Aug. 31-Sept. 9: Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, then commander of the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, travels to Iraq to survey the intelligence situation and make recommendations. His team includes people from the CIA.

_ Sept. 6: Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, on a visit to Iraq, tours part of Abu Ghraib with Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, commander of the military police unit guarding the prison.

_ Sept. 14: Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, issues preliminary interrogation guidelines requiring his approval for the most severe interrogation tactics.

_ Oct. 12: Sanchez issues a revised interrogation policy deleting references to specific techniques that require his approval.

_ Oct. 23: A soldier at Abu Ghraib takes the now-infamous picture of Pfc. Lynndie England holding a leash attached to a collar around the neck of a naked Iraqi prisoner.

...more...

Now what the hell are they talking about?

[maddezmom]

6. thanks for posting...was looking for it

looks like someone hasn't read the timeline :eyes:

[Tinoire]

5. BULLSHIT.

By November, the second investigation my General Ryder was already in full swing!

From the beginning & more and more now, I am thinking that the 6 enlisted fools were deliberately "set-up" to take the fall after intel realized that a majot scandal was in the works.

Thoughts?





. (U) The Investigating Team began its inquiry with an in-depth analysis of the Report on Detention and Corrections in Iraq, dated 5 November 2003, conducted by MG Ryder and a team of military police, legal, medical, and automation experts. The CJTF-7 Commander, LTG Sanchez, had previously requested a team of subject matter experts to assess, and make specific recommendations concerning detention and corrections operations. From 13 October to 6 November 2003, MG Ryder personally led this assessment/assistance team in Iraq. (ANNEX 19)
http://www.agonist.org/annex/taguba.htm