BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi police and intelligence agents stormed through Baghdad's roughest neighborhoods this month, arresting more than 500 men in operations they hoped would be a spectacular debut for an all-Iraqi crime-fighting force.
Days after the raids were trumpeted on the news, however, most of the suspected kidnappers and carjackers were back on the streets for lack of evidence. The 150 or so who remained in custody this week were blindfolded for interrogations that included blows to the head and threats against their families.
"Don't talk to me about human rights," said one interrogator who punched several prisoners in front of a reporter. He asked not to be named because he frequently works undercover. "When security settles down, we'll talk about human rights. Right now, I need confessions."
The first major mission for the new Iraqi Interior Ministry revealed more about the law enforcers than about Baghdad's criminals. The security forces appeared severely lacking in human rights training, lifesaving equipment and, most of all, independence.
An American military commander, acting on his own, attempted to free some of the detainees and, in the process, undermined the Iraqi authorities and humiliated them in front of the suspects.
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An Iraqi lieutenant colonel, an intelligence officer under Saddam Hussein's regime, invited a Knight Ridder reporter to observe an afternoon of his interrogations. What followed was a scene that probably would have sparked a scandal had American forces been involved.
Blindfolded with scraps of cloth and bound by plastic ties, the sweaty suspects stumbled into the dim interrogation room and were pushed to the ground. The colonel kneeled and barked questions into their faces, threatening to arrest their families if they lied. MORE........
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9192350.htm
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