Army Calls Abuses 'Aberrations'

[G_j]

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2004/07/23/national/a01072304_05.txt

Friday, July 23, 2004
National / World News:


Army reports 94 allegations of prisoner abuse

By MATT KELLEY - Associated Press Writer - 07/23/04

WASHINGTON — Army investigators announced 94 cases of confirmed or alleged prisoner abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan — a number higher than previous estimates — in a report Thursday that concluded no systemic failures were at fault.

But Senate Democrats, pointing to deficiencies in training and inconsistencies in doctrine outlined in the Army report, immediately challenged the findings.

‘‘It is difficult to believe there were not systemic problems with our detention and interrogation operations,'' Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said at a hastily called hearing.

The acting Army secretary and its top general said they took responsibility for the abuses while insisting that they were the misconduct of enlisted soldiers or lower-ranking officers — and not sanctioned by Army leadership.

‘‘These actions, while regrettable, are aberrations,'' said Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee. ‘‘The Army is responsible for their acts. As the senior civilian leader in the Army, I accept this responsibility.''
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7124-2004Jul22.html

Army Calls Abuses 'Aberrations'
Report Cites 94 Detainee-Mistreatment Cases in Iraq and Afghanistan

By Josh White and Scott Higham
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, July 23, 2004; Page A01


The Army's inspector general reported yesterday that 94 incidents of confirmed or possible detainee abuse occurred in U.S. prison facilities throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, but he added that the incidents were not due to "systemic" problems, even though a months-long inspection found that soldiers were inadequately trained and lacked proper supervision and clear orders.

The report by Lt. Gen. Paul T. Mikolashek -- presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee at a hastily scheduled hearing yesterday morning -- concluded that cases of abuse such as those at Abu Ghraib prison were "aberrations" that did not result from flawed Army doctrine.

Some senators and human rights advocates criticized the report. They said it ignored many of the most important questions, such as the hiding of "ghost detainees" and the use of unmuzzled dogs during interrogations. They also said the report's findings are contradicted by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Mikolashek and his team blamed 20 detainee deaths and 74 other reported instances of abuse -- including beatings, sexual assaults and thefts -- on "the failure of individuals to follow known standards of discipline and Army values and, in some cases, the failure of a few leaders to enforce those standards of discipline."

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http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2004/07/22/iraq_abuse040722.html

U.S. army report lists 94 prisoner abuse cases
Last Updated Thu, 22 Jul 2004 11:07:01 EDT

WASHINGTON - The problem of prisoner abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan is much more widespread than the Pentagon has previously estimated, according to a report from the U.S. army parts of which were released on Thursday.
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[shraby]

1. I watched it last night on C-Span

and Sen. John McCain was purely pissed over the ghost detainees, as was Sen. Reed. They did determine that the inquiry presented to them by the army didn't investigate ghost detainees nor did they interview anyone above 2 stars.

[LittleApple81]

2. I watched it from the C-Span video last night. I was so FURIOUS!

Here is my thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2046658

PLEASE PEOPLE: WATCH IT HERE. Move the video time slide to 1:10. That is when Senator Reed starts asking questions.
IT IS A SHAME ON THE NATION that this "investigation" is done by the institution that is supposed to be investigated...

http://www.c-span.org/homepage.asp?Cat=Current_Event&Code=108_Cong&ShowVidNum=6&Rot_Cat_CD=108_Cong&Rot_HT=&Rot_WD=&ShowVidDays=15&ShowVidDesc=&ArchiveDays=30

(Abu Grhaib hearing)