(P.S. - Why does it take laymen like us, at home in our pajamas and not getting paid for this, to notice things and make analytical connections that the media can't, or simply refuses to?)
Posted on 12/04/2004 7:48:01 PM PST by Former Military Chick
A senior US military officer said that new pictures showing apparent abuse of Iraqi prisoners did not accurately reflect the good work done by the thousands of American soldiers in Iraq.
But General Mark Kimmitt acknowledged in an interview with al-Jazeera television that some people would use the photos to tarnish the image of America's military.
Kimmitt, a senior US Central Command officer, spoke on the pan-Arab television network a day after the US military launched a criminal investigation into photographs that appear to show US 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.
The photos, found by an Associated Press reporter, were 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.
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.
Kimmitt, who was the military spokesman in Iraq at the time of the Abu Ghraib scandal and is now based in Qatar, told al-Jazeera that he believed the photos showed the acts of an isolated few.
After months of ongoing investigation, Kimmitt said the number of US military troops involved in acts of abuse had been found to be very limited.
Asked by al-Jazeera if such pictures were a problem for the military, Kimmitt said they were certainly a "tool" and some would try to use them to show the US military in a negative light.
The photos drew strong reactions in Arab media.
"Here is the US Navy stirring the storm that the Abu Ghraib (scandal) has evoked before," an Al-Jazeera commentator said, in a report with images from the Abu Ghraib prison as well as the newly revealed photos.
One photo was published on the front page of the daily Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram.
It showed three hooded prisoners pressed against one another on a floor with what appear to be white sheets wrapped around their torsos. The photo caption read: "Signs of a new scandal."
In a damage-control campaign after an outraged reaction from the Arab world on the Abu Ghraib pictures, American President George W Bush appeared on Arab television in May to tell audiences in the region that the torture was the act of a few.
Navy Commander Jeff Bender, a spokesman for the Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado, California, said in a written response to questions that the matter would be "thoroughly investigated".
The photos were turned over to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which instructed the SEAL command to determine whether they showed any serious crimes, Bender said.
It was unclear who took the pictures.
Kimmitt, in the al-Jazeera interview, also was asked if elections were possible in the midst of a violent campaign by Iraqi insurgents. He said an additional 12,000 US soldiers sent to Iraq would be enough to help secure the elections, with help from Iraqi security forces.
Earlier, General John Abizaid, head of US Central Command, said Iraqi forces were growing in number, but were not experienced enough to ensure security during the January 30 Iraqi national elections without the additional American help.
These pictures are very routine. I can't even express to you how commonplace this stuff is for SOF units. Why the media is acting surprised is beyond me.
Problem is that the leftist media (Rolling Stone, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc.) will run with this story for as long as possible. They'll continue even when the story dies off.
Exactly. The worst thing I can see is that someone got a bloody nose. What do they expect out of us? It's bad enough that they expect us to fight a war where no Americans are hurt, but now they expect us to fight a war where we can't even injure the enemy! Do they expect us to hand out teddy bears?
CUT OFF A FEW HEADS!
Then the next time we just SIT on one, the media won't get so upset. Conditioning, you see ;)
But there's no story. What is it that they are reporting -- that uncooperative people get roughed up in a combat zone? Well, no sh** Sherlock!
Would they rather we gave them origami paper cranes instead?
and your point is ?
This is the first I've read about the bigger context of the story. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Was the reporter investigating for the prosecution or just trying to dig up the scoop of an internal investigation? Did this reporter have the undisclosed pictures or was he/she trying to find them? Did he/she use these photos as a diversion from from the allegedly damning photos or as a headline to draw attention to them? There's just not enough info to make any conclusions.
What I do know about SEALs (20 years of rubbing shoulders) is they are accountable for their actions. There simply are no more professional soldiers than them. I strongly suspect that any abuses were minor and not worthy of an international incident. Granted, supposition means nothing but someone is going to have to make a much stronger case than this to raise an eyebrow of mine.
Hey, look at that. The story does have legs. Not for the content but the story itself.
Well, not all of the 100% seal operator are thieves, murderers,. etc. In every unit there will probably a bad apple to disgrace on what they stand for. I don't smoke and drink anymore so what! The SpecOps are defending American and democratic allies their freedom.
On the side note, an urban legend how Gen. Pershing defeated the Islamofascist.
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/pershing.htm
As shocking as this sounds, some guys don't want to snatched out of their bombmaking shops, hideouts, and planning cells. Some of them will even fight back, regardless of how polite and reasonable you are. When they fight back, they wind up getting wounded and/or killed in the process.
This process often involves blood, impolite comments, hurt feelings, and a degree of dramatic tension.
There is no way to do this job in a civil manner. Anyone who wants to knock on the door and try and serve Abu Jihadi a warrant for his arrest is welcome to it.
My point is that hardly any of the allegations of abuse are even mentioned by the MSM, unless they have photos that can be used to sensationalize the story. This investigation, like the one at Abu Ghraib had been going on for some time, and it was the pics that pushed the publicity, not any burning desire to get at the truth.
So I fail to see the public utility of such activities of a "free" press, and therefore believe such activities in wartime should be suppressed.
But the MSM have video of French troops firing on unarmed peaceful demonstrators and fleeing refugees in the Ivory Coast and you have not seen any of that on the nightly news, though Fox showed a little on it on one of their shows. So I think it goes beyond "if it bleeds, it leads" type mentality. I think there is an unhealthy dislike of America and what it stands for in the MSM.
Wonder if this is another Dan Rather and Co. set-up? Wasn't his phony memo source the same gal who furnished the phony 'Abu Grab' pictures the first time around?
a) the pictures must easily lead to a quick judgment;
b) the inference must be bad for the US;
Gee, can I win a Pulitzer now?
"And then there's that one picture of the guy they made wear a dress"
I wouldn't even bet that the "dress" was the doing of the military. That might be some sort of night clothing. In Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and Oman, men wear robes during the daytime, as well. It's just a different culture.
That's the bloody truth of the matter. Most of the Muslim fanatics who hold prisoners torture them and do even worse. A pox on all muslims.
(P.S. - Why does it take laymen like us, at home in our pajamas and not getting paid for this, to notice things and make analytical connections that the media can't, or simply refuses to?)
Yeah, that's what I see as well. So what do we have here... insurgent gets cut during arrest probably because he was resisting, tried to run away, or maybe he tripped over a box of RPG's. Who knows? Point is, a soldier then applies some first aid to the bleeding man.
This scene probably plays itself out hundreds of times a day.
I can't believe how "manufactured" the news have become.
One more thing...
The more I look at the 8 or so pictures in question the clearer it becomes that this is only a "prisoner abuse" story because the Associated Press desperately wants it to be. Aside from some goofing off type behaviour (oh the horror!), and an insurgent with a slight cut to his chin or lower jaw) there is NOTHING here. Absolutely nothing.
This just reinforces my belief that extreme partisanship forms the foundation of the news reports out of Iraq. That's all this will achieve. In fact, I hope the military lays into the ASSociated Press and tells them to report real friggin' news for a change.
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