Guantanamo tactics used in Iraq

2005-07-14 20:48

Washington - Some tactics used at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad were used months earlier at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a military investigation, reported the Washington Post on Thursday.

The tactics included forcing a stubborn detainee to wear women's underwear on his head and confronting him with angry dogs. A leash was also attached to his chains.

The techniques, approved and later rescinded by defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, were employed in late 2002 against Mohamed Qahtani, the alleged 20th hijacker in the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks.

Military investigators who briefed the Senate armed services committee on Wednesday said the tactics were "aggressive", but did not cross the line into torture.

In April 2004, photos emerged of the United States soldier abusing and humiliating hooded and naked Iraqi soldiers, sparking worldwide outrage.

Many of those soldiers had faced courts-martial and had been sentenced to prison.

- SAPA