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[BuddyC]

Pentagon: Military Hid Iraq Prisoner from Red Cross
By Charles Aldinger

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has been improperly holding a suspected Iraqi terrorist in a prison near Baghdad for more than seven months without informing the Red Cross, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

Defense officials confirmed that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ordered military officials to hold the suspected member of the Ansar al-Islam guerrilla group last November at the request of then-CIA Director George Tenet without telling the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told Reuters the United States was now moving to end the shadowy status of the man, who was not identified, and allow access to him by the ICRC.

Both assigning a prisoner number and notifying the Red Cross are required under the Geneva Conventions and other international humanitarian laws.

"I will acknowledge that the ICRC should have been notified about this prisoner earlier," Whitman said. "He will be assigned an identification number and, if appropriate, moved into the general prison population."

The report came as the United States continued to conduct a major investigation into the abuse, including sexual humiliation, of prisoners by the U.S. military in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

'HIGH-VALUE' DETAINEE

Whitman confirmed a report in Thursday's New York Times that Tenet -- who recently resigned as CIA chief -- had asked Rumsfeld to make the move last year after the "high-value" detainee, believed to have been actively involved in planning attacks on U.S.-led forces in Iraq, was captured.

"The director of central intelligence (Tenet) wanted him held without notification while the CIA worked to determine his value," Whitman said.

The man has been held at Camp Cropper, a high-security facility near Baghdad Airport, and has apparently been lost in the system in recent months, according to other U.S. officials, who asked not to be identified. Whitman said the military's Central Command had recently sought clarification from the Pentagon on the status of the detainee.

Washington has linked Ansar al-Islam to al Qaeda and blames the group for some attacks in Iraq.

"He has been treated humanely," Whitman told Reuters.

Although the United States says that all prisoners in Iraq are treated humanely and strictly under rules of war established by the Red Cross, the Times said the prisoner and other so-called "ghost detainees" were hidden largely to prevent the ICRC from monitoring their treatment and conditions.

In March, Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, the U.S. Army officer who investigated abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, criticized the practice of allowing ghost detainees as "deceptive, contrary to Army doctrine, and in violation of international law."

Whitman said it was appropriate to hold detainees for brief periods without notification if they were viewed as an "active threat" in wartime. But he acknowledged that the man was held too long under those conditions in this case.

"Once he was placed in military custody, people lost track of him," a senior intelligence official told The New York Times.

Seven months? Uh huh. I'm sure he was treated humanely.

 

[Incognito]

This administration is a joke.

 

[Phoenix]

 

[Matlock]

Dude, he's probably eating better than you.

 

[Ripclawe]

Ansar? probably got some useful information from him.

 

[Pimpwerx]

What makes us different from the VC of Chinese, or a Castro? Are we now, officially in the business of holding enemies of the state without due process? We have an embargo against Cuba for this very thing. Castro supposedly rounds up people who oppose him and hold them prisoner without due process. Now we do the same and it's ok b/c he "probably got some useful information"? Standards of convenience I see. Also called double-standards. PEACE.

 

[Doth Togo]

"Clean slate" politics! Worldwide nuclear annihilation is the only answer!

 

[shoplifter]

"The secretary and I discussed that for the first time this morning. ... I'm never disappointed in my secretary of defense. He's doing a fabulous job and America's lucky to have him in the position he's in."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040617/480/cdh10306171545

 

[StrikerObi]

If the guy's not hurt why the fuck does the Red Cross need to know about it?

 

[MrPing1000]

when are the dudes in Guantamo bay going to get a trial or are they going to stay locked up forever?

 

[Boogie]

If the guy's not hurt why the fuck does the Red Cross need to know about it?

The Red Cross does more than just heal people, they're probably trying to ensure the proper treatment of prisoners. In World War II, there were the famous "Red Cross Packages" of food sent to POWs.

 

[Ripclawe]

What makes us different from the VC of Chinese, or a Castro? Are we now, officially in the business of holding enemies of the state without due process? We have an embargo against Cuba for this very thing. Castro supposedly rounds up people who oppose him and hold them prisoner without due process. Now we do the same and it's ok b/c he "probably got some useful information"? Standards of convenience I see. Also called double-standards. PEACE.

The embargo against cuba started and grew to stop communism growing in our backyard and stopping Castro from using his "revolution" to go other places in the region. Castro by the way has been rounding up people and holding them prisoner without due process for decades, there is no supposedly about it.

 

[darscot]

More of the same old BS. The US has become what it has preached that it is trying to stop. It's conquered Iraq it's torturing and murdering whom-ever it feels it needs to. It will install a puppet government and that will be the end of it. How much blatant lies has the US governement told it's people yet many of the people still believe them.

 

[Vennt]

What makes us different from the VC of Chinese, or a Castro? Are we now, officially in the business of holding enemies of the state without due process? We have an embargo against Cuba for this very thing. Castro supposedly rounds up people who oppose him and hold them prisoner without due process. Now we do the same and it's ok b/c he "probably got some useful information"? Standards of convenience I see. Also called double-standards. PEACE.

You think it looks bad to you?

Think how badly bad the rest of the world see it :/ (Even those Countries that support you, let alone those with problems/issues)

Seems like the "Moral High Ground" was one of the first casualties of the "War on Terror".

Nietzche's warning has never sounded so sane... (This coming from someone who has previously found Nietzche to be a bit "overboard on pessimism" and no great fan of his, I never thought I would quote him in context, and mean it, ever.)

He who fights monsters should look into it that he himself does not become a monster. When you gaze long into the Abyss, the Abyss also gazes into you.

- Friedrich Nietzsche

Freeburn.

 

[DJ Demon J]

Hey, didn't they make a movie about Dubya and The War on Terror? I think it was called "The Siege."

 

[Matlock]

Hey, didn't they make a movie about Dubya and The War on Terror? I think it was called "The Siege."

I thought it was called "Duck Soup."

 

[fart]

Hey, didn't they make a movie about Dubya and The War on Terror? I think it was called "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

fixed it for ya

 

[Pimpwerx]

Ripclawe: "The embargo against cuba started and grew to stop communism growing in our backyard and stopping Castro from using his "revolution" to go other places in the region. Castro by the way has been rounding up people and holding them prisoner without due process for decades, there is no supposedly about it."

Good sidestep Barry Sanders, but what about our recent emulation of Castro's behavior? I don't need a history lesson on the ongoing embargo which has nothing to do with stopping communist imperialism BTW. The embargo is an attempt to overthrow Castro by creating unrest in the population. And it's not working b/c pretty much everyone but the US does trade with them. I'll say it again so you don't miss it this time. DOUBLE-STANDARD!!! Even you have to see this as incredibly weak. PEACE.

 

[Triumph]

Fuck this Administration. They are blatantly criminal and think nothing of it, because according to them IF WE DO IT, IT CAN'T BE ILLEGAL.

Well guess what assholes? You're gonna find out the hard way that it IS illegal. That lying to Congress is perjurable. That defying standards of conduct in war is punishable. And finally, that the American people don't like your little gestapo tactics, and you're all going to be looking for new jobs or avoiding prison rape in a year.

Yes, WE WILL RUMBLE, YOUNG MAN, RUMBLE! The end is coming and it's not looking pretty for these fuckers. Ok. They will be lucky to avoid being chained in stocks on the steps of the Capital and pelted with trash. Good luck, swine.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Don't be so sure. There are a lot of people who WILL vote for Dubya, right or wrong. Sadly, Ripclawe is not alone on this. PEACE.

 

[Vennt]

So those that can, should educate & motivate.

Use the system, against the system.

Ok, so maybe thats optimism too far

(damn thats a pessimistic thing isn't it, doubting our own values :/)

Freeburn.

 

[demon]

Fuck this Administration. They are blatantly criminal and think nothing of it, because according to them IF WE DO IT, IT CAN'T BE ILLEGAL.

Well guess what assholes? You're gonna find out the hard way that it IS illegal. That lying to Congress is perjurable. That defying standards of conduct in war is punishable. And finally, that the American people don't like your little gestapo tactics, and you're all going to be looking for new jobs or avoiding prison rape in a year.

Yes, WE WILL RUMBLE, YOUNG MAN, RUMBLE! The end is coming and it's not looking pretty for these fuckers. Ok. They will be lucky to avoid being chained in stocks on the steps of the Capital and pelted with trash. Good luck, swine.

I dunno....there sure are a lot of retards in America who don't give a fuck about reality and would rather just vote for the god-loving republican.

 

[Triumph]

I've already convinced four friends to vote for Kerry over Bush. They voted for Bush in 2000. And my father has told me that at this point he's so disgusted with the administration that he is either going to vote for the Libertarian candidate or just stay at home on election day. So I'm trying to do my part.

It's hard, though. There are a lot of ingnorant motherfuckers in America, like pimpwerx said. There is probably a greater concentration of 'em in Georgia, too. I've actually applied for a job with the DNC to work on Kerry's campaign, and I'll hear back from them next week. So I'm doing my part, but it's increasingly obvious that there are a lot of people out there who either don't care to be informed about the issues or think that the administration is justified in their actions. It's almost like there really are two or more Americas now, and one of them is spiteful and mean, just like this whoremongering Administration that has fouled our political system. It's hard to keep your spirits up when people refuse to think about something, but I'm trying.

Edit: Whoa! Thanks to whoever slapped me with this tag. I suppose that I am a bubbling cauldron of loathing for most things, but I try to live my life without fear. Rockin.

 

[Vennt]

I hope that our small nation learns from this, and that policy change and greater transparency is the result.

But thats just a childish optimism that just won't die :|


Freeburn.

 

[Ripclawe]

Ripclawe: "The embargo against cuba started and grew to stop communism growing in our backyard and stopping Castro from using his "revolution" to go other places in the region. Castro by the way has been rounding up people and holding them prisoner without due process for decades, there is no supposedly about it."

Good sidestep Barry Sanders, but what about our recent emulation of Castro's behavior? I don't need a history lesson on the ongoing embargo which has nothing to do with stopping communist imperialism BTW. The embargo is an attempt to overthrow Castro by creating unrest in the population. And it's not working b/c pretty much everyone but the US does trade with them. I'll say it again so you don't miss it this time. DOUBLE-STANDARD!!! Even you have to see this as incredibly weak. PEACE.

Well you needed a bit of a refresher course on the embargo. As for this story, Reuters absolutely butchered the original story done by the NYTIMES

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/17/politics/17abuse.html?pagewanted=print&position=

the gist is he is a senior ansar official who has valuable information, he was initially brought in and not registered deemed legal by lawyers and their bosses and just got lost in the system for long period of time.

 

[Vennt]

...As for this story, Reuters absolutely butchered the original story done by the NYTIMES

Are you for real? Do you know anything about Reuters?

Your credibility just got seriously eroded.


Freeburn.

 

[BuddyC]

Are you for real? Do you know anything about Reuters?

You're credibility just got seriously eroded.


Freeburn.

You're? (I still love you Vennt!)

 

[Pimpwerx]

the gist is he is a senior ansar official who has valuable information, he was initially brought in and not registered deemed legal by lawyers and their bosses and just got lost in the system for long period of time.

I guess John McCain and the rest of the Nam POWs were just "lost in the system for long periods of time" too. Fun with words. PEACE.

 

[Hitokage]

Why bother fact checking when you can ad hominem your way to political victory?

 

[Vennt]

Heh, why wouldn't it surprise me if your current administration makes a big issue about the lowlife nature of "Negative Campaigning" before the end of the year

(Bookmarks thread & prediction)

Freeburn.

 

[deadhorse32]

After being harassed by a journalist Bush said :

http://users.skynet.be/fa036594/BushIrak.avi

 

[Ripclawe]

Are you for real? Do you know anything about Reuters?

Your credibility just got seriously eroded.


Freeburn.

yes, which is why I am not surprised by Reuters butchering a story.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110003790

or a more recent example is the deborah charles story yesterday where she mixed and match quotes from the staff reports to make a different impression of what was written from the 9/11 commission.

 

[Hitokage]

Heh, why wouldn't it surprise me if your current administration makes a big issue about the lowlife nature of "Negative Campaigning" before the end of the year

(Bookmarks thread & prediction)

Freeburn.

Why wait? Just listen to the endless cries of "playing politics" whenever ANY dissent arises in congress.

 

[Vennt]

yes, which is why I am not surprised by Reuters butchering a story.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110003790

or a more recent example is the deborah charles story yesterday where she mixed and match quotes from the staff reports to make a different impression of what was written from the 9/11 commission.

Nice attempt at deflection, but anyone can play the "google for links that support my hypothesis game" A game that anyone can play

Does not change the fact that Reuters is a newswire, and no doubt the source of many of the NYT's stories.

Freeburn

 

[gblues]

I am still waiting for Kerry to give me a better reason to vote for him than "I'm not Bush."

John Ashcroft isn't Bush, either, but that doesn't mean I wanna vote him into office!

Nathan

 

[FightyF]

So the Pentagon still refused to abide by the Geneva Conventions?

They're not too hard to follow! WTF is wrong with these people?!

 

[Vennt]

So the Pentagon still refused to abide by the Geneva Conventions?

They're not too hard to follow! WTF is wrong with these people?!

Bad things are what the other people do.

Remember: Oceania is at war with Eurasia. Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia

Freeburn.

 

[BuddyC]

Bad things are what the other people do.

Remember: Oceania is at war with Eurasia. Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia

Freeburn.

Oh, burn.

 

[Vennt]

Heh, I may be dyslexic, but I'm not illiterate

Freeburn.

 

[shoplifter]

Rummy is currently being OWNED on the cable outlets at the press conference.

 

[Pimpwerx]

I am still waiting for Kerry to give me a better reason to vote for him than "I'm not Bush."

John Ashcroft isn't Bush, either, but that doesn't mean I wanna vote him into office!

Yup, and that's a legit beef that some libs don't get. Kerry is not an acceptable alternative for many people. In the rush to "beat Bush", they've nominated someone who's almost as unelectable and not nearly as charismatic. Right now, Kerry should be handing Bush his ass in preparation for the deathblow at the debates. As it is, he'll be lucky to score any major victories come debate time. I can't say it enough. John Kerry is the Democrat's Bob Dole. One of those head-scratching "WTF" nominees that will be remembered for failing to win decisively over the biggest failure since Bush Sr. PEACE.

 

[shoplifter]

In the rush to "beat Bush", they've nominated someone who's almost as unelectable and not nearly as charismatic.

IAWTP. I'm as likely to vote libertarian as I am Kerry right now, and I hate the Bush administration.

 

[Malleymal]

DONT DROP THAT CAKE

 

[Mr. E. Yis]

We have no bread to eat.

Bush: Then let them eat cake!