US troops 'abused' prisoners

2004-04-29 11:44

Washington - A prison near Baghdad was the scene of what the US military has admitted was "reprehensible" behaviour by its soldiers after they took over the facility last year, a US television news report said on Wednesday.

The US military has investigated charges that soldiers mistreated prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison and announced that 17 soldiers who worked as guards there had been removed from duty. But the details of the mistreatment were not released.

This week photos showing the treatment began to circulate, according to the CBS News programme 60 Minutes II, prompting the network to proceed with a story that it held for two weeks after a request from the Pentagon.

The pictures show clothed US soldiers posing with naked Iraqi prisoners in various positions, including naked male prisoners kneeling on each other in a pyramid with a female US soldier behind them.

Simulating sex

Another picture shows naked Iraqis positioned to simulate sex with each other. In most of the pictures, the Americans are laughing, gesturing or pointing.

Another photograph in the army's possession shows a detainee with wires attached to his genitals. Another shows a dog attacking an Iraqi prisoner.

CBS said the investigation started when one soldier got the photos from a friend and gave them to his commanders.

The Army issued a scathing report after its investigation, according to CBS. The Army found that one Iraqi prisoner was made to stand on a box with his head covered and wires attached to his hands, and told if he fell off the box, he would be electrocuted.

Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said the entire army was let down by the actions of the few soldiers.

We love our soldiers

Every day, we love our soldiers, but frankly, some days we're not always proud of our soldiers," he told CBS.

An Army general who was in charge of the prison, where 900 prisoners were incarcerated after the invasion, and her command staff may be forced out of the military, and six soldiers are facing court martial and possible prison time.

One of the soldiers facing court martial, Army Reserve Staff Sergeant Chip Frederick, said: "We had no support, no training whatsoever. And I kept asking my chain of command for certain things... like rules and regulations," Frederick said.

Kimmitt told CBS that the army is appalled by the photos.

"This is reprehensible," Kimmitt said. "But this is not representative of the 150 000 soldiers that are over here."

Kimmitt added that the US expects its soldiers to be treated well by the enemy, "and if we can't hold ourselves up as an example of how to treat people with dignity and respect, we can't ask that other nations to that to our soldiers as well."

CBS had decided to honour a request from the defence department to delay the broadcast, while pressing the department to add its perspective.

The department agreed to co-operate when the photos began to circulate elsewhere, CBS said. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA