For contrast:
Posted on 12/03/2004 2:08:59 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
The U.S. military has launched a criminal investigation into photographs that appear to show Navy SEALs in Iraq sitting on hooded and handcuffed detainees, and photos of what appear to be bloodied prisoners, one with a gun to his head.
Some of the photos have date stamps suggesting they were taken in May 2003, which could make them the earliest evidence of possible abuse of prisoners in Iraq. The far more brutal practices photographed in Abu Ghraib prison occurred months later.
An Associated Press reporter found more than 40 of the pictures among hundreds in an album posted on a commercial photo-sharing Web site by a woman who said her husband brought them from Iraq after his tour of duty. It is unclear who took the pictures, which the Navy said it was investigating after the AP furnished copies to get comment for this story.
These and other photos found by the AP appear to show the immediate aftermath of raids on civilian homes. One man is lying on his back with a boot on his chest. A mug shot shows a man with an automatic weapon pointed at his head and a gloved thumb jabbed into his throat. In many photos, faces have been blacked out. What appears to be blood drips from the heads of some. A family huddles in a room in one photo and others show debris and upturned furniture.
"These photographs raise a number of important questions regarding the treatment of prisoners of war (POWs) and detainees," Navy Cmdr. Jeff Bender, a spokesman for the Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado, said in a written response to questions. "I can assure you that the matter will be thoroughly investigated."
The photos were turned over to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which instructed the SEAL command to determine whether they show any serious crimes, Bender said Friday. That investigation will determine the identities of the troops and what they were doing in the photos.
Some of the photos recall aspects of the images from Abu Ghraib, which led to charges against seven soldiers accused of humiliating and assaulting prisoners. In several of the photos obtained by the AP, grinning men wearing U.S. flags on their uniforms, and one with a tattoo of a SEAL trident, take turns sitting or lying atop what appear to be three hooded and handcuffed men in the bed of a pickup truck.
A reporter found the photos, which since have since been removed from public view, while researching the prosecution of a group of SEALs who allegedly beat prisoners and photographed one of them in degrading positions. Those photos, taken with a SEAL's personal camera, haven't been publicly released.
Though they have alarmed SEAL commanders, the photographs found by the AP do not necessarily show anything illegal, according to experts in the laws of war who reviewed photos at AP's request.
Gary Solis, a former Marine Corps prosecutor and judge who teaches at the United States Military Academy, said the images showed "stupid" and "juvenile" behavior - but not necessarily a crime.
aPPARENTLY they hacked a personal comp family album.
BIG
FREAKIN
DEAL.
WHO
CARES?
I could care less. If they deserved to be convicted, then do it. No reason to exploit this.
I can't wait to see what the press will do with this.
GET READY.
John Kerry wannabes?
Exactly.
Wake me up when we start sawing the heads off of the bastards- same as they do to our people. Then the media will almost have something to legitimately complain about.
Prime Choice wrote:
Okay, once more for the terminally dense:
Pulling this crap is BAD.
Taking photos while pulling this crap is IDIOTIC.
Bad news people...
Chemist_Geek wrote:
And when are FReepers going to learn that harming prisoners is an Evil Thing?
WE
DON'T
CARE!!
(?)
The AP's agenda is to prove the USA employs Nazi stormtroopers to brutalize innocent people. Don't fall for this crap.
You know what?
i have NO PROBLEM with using "extreme measures" on a subject if it is to extraact information that could save even ONE of our troops, especially if time is short.
What I have a problem with is some of the people who apparently go out of their way to abuse prisoners for no good reason, and then are DUMB enought to
1) Brag about it
or
2) Document it with video or film and then flash it around.
Makes the rest of our guys look REALLY bad.
You cannot take photos of a military operation out of context and assume they show something improper being done to innocents. I assume people get shot in these operations too. A photo of a military operation is extremely different from a photo taken in a prison.
they still don't belong on teh Web.
What was the guy's wife THINKING?
Which is worse?
"degrading, humiliating and assaulting prisoners"
See I this is what I did not want to get into, people have very inflamed opinions about this whole issue. The SEAL did what he did. That is his cross to bear. Do these images need to be seen by the rest of the world (this one will probably light a few people off.) I think they do. I think it needs to be communicated to the rest of the world especially those that intend to do us harm. We have as a country always (as I see it) used our power overall for the good of mankind, but if a review of history is done it shows that these types of activites occured in WW1, WW2 etc. and the picture of enemy POW's being executed for crimes and their dentention were also show as a warning. Yes our government has moved away from this. I think the press and resonance from the Vietnam war have a lot to do with it. Granted I know a lot of FReepers think it is wrong or stupid to release these photos or have the out for Public display...I simply disagree for the reason stated above. I think it is logical and not being sick or twist or be a bragert about it. If you are going to flame me, flame away. but i have said my piece.
Has anyone seen the pic on drudge.
BIG DEAL!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.