Iraq: scores of men appear murdered, bound and tortured. Who's behind it?

[Julius Civitatus]

For the last year or so, this has become an item that appears in the news on a daily basis: every day, the corpses of dozens of men appear, their hands and feet bound and they show significant signs of torture.

It has become so common it no longer shocks you to read this in the news. It's simply blamed on the "sectarian violence" and "civil war" or in rival ethnic groups "settling scores."

But something occurred to me today.

I noticed this wasn't as common a few years back. This has been taking place for about a year or a year and a half. Notice that they are always males of military age, they always appear murdered in groups of 30 or so, and they all have been bound and tortured before their executions.

Seems to me that sectarian violence is more interested in wiping out the other side. This is exemplified in the common car bombings and terror attacks that are taking place on a daily basis between Sunnis and Shiites. One side blows up a market, the other side blows up a school, the other retaliates blowing up a mosque, etc.

The scores of males being captured, bound, tortured and executed do not seem to follow this premise. What is going on?

Well, this is just my speculation, but nothing about this war in Iraq, no matter how wild and crazy would surprise me anymore.

Notice these practices started after Negroponte's tenure in Iraq. John Negroponte was notorious for allowing paramilitary death squads to perform similar tactics in Central America under his tenure. During his ambassadorship, human rights violations in Honduras became systematic. Secret paramilitary groups kidnapped, tortured and killed hundreds of people. Negroponte knew about these human rights violations and yet continued to collaborate with them, while lying to Congress:

http://www.counterpunch.org/hassan06042004.html

In Honduras the army intelligence unit, Battalion 3-16, which was involved in kidnappings, rape, torture and killing of suspected dissidents. In 1995 Gary Cohn and Ginger Thompson of The Baltimore Sun unearthed massive and substantiated evidence from various sources pointing the finger at Mr. Negroponte knowledge of the crimes. The reporters also found that hundreds of Hondurans "were kidnapped, tortured and killed in the 1980s by a secret army unit trained and supported by the CIA"(2). Reliable evidence from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Honduras alleged that Negroponte oversaw the expansion of U.S training camp and military base on Honduran territory, where US-trained Contras terrorists, and where the military secretly detained, tortured and executed Honduran suspected dissidents.

Could it be possible, and again this is just speculation, that those infamous Central American practices have been implanted in Iraq? Is it possible there is a secret paramilitary group, possibly a division of the Iraqi army or police, going around committing these crimes? Could it be possible that Negroponte's contribution to the Iraq situation has been the application of his "expertise" in instituting "death squads"?

Like the right wing pundits said during the silly Monica scandal, it would be irresponsible not to speculate, given the track record of the characters involved.

[havocmom]

1. Kill off the defenders of a nation you are occupying?

Sounds like you are on to something. It IS Negroponte's M.O.

And it is easier to pillage if there are no males left to fight for their homeland.

[malaise]

2. Would be no surprise to me

Mr. Negroponte is as evil as they come.

[sendero]

3. For what purpose?

It would seem that these deaths are working against the Bush admin's plans.

[Julius Civitatus]

4. Not sure. Maybe police work looking for insurgents

To me, the goal of secret death squads outside the law would be to wage a dirty war against potential insurgents. To me, this is what these deaths represent. It definitely looks like the methodical work of death squads.

[EFerrari]

6. Which plans do you mean?

This is for sure Negroponte although if he didn't exist, the big Dick would have to invent him.

[WhiteTara]

5. This is Negroponte's MO for sure

When I found out that he was going to Iraq, I knew the death squads would follow. If any one should be sent to the Hague it is Negroponte.

[Julius Civitatus]

7. Today: 33 bodies found scattered across Baghdad

Today, another 33 men were found murdered, bound and tortured in Iraq:

33 bodies found scattered across Baghdad

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060905/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_060905084707

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Police found the tortured, blindfolded bodies of 33 men scattered across the capital and the U.S.-led coalition reported combat deaths of seven servicemen, a day after Iraqi leaders said the capture of a top terror suspect would reduce violence.

....

Police said they the 33 bullet-riddled bodies all showed signs of torture and had their hands and feet bound. The men had been dumped around several neighborhoods, police said.

Two other bodies were found dumped on a highway in Kut, 100 miles southeast of Baghdad. Both had been shot in the head and chest, said Maamoun Ajil al-Robaiei at Kut hospital's morgue.

....

[Julius Civitatus]

8. Kick! -- n/t

:kick: