Posted on 06/12/2005 11:26:34 PM PDT by ambrose
Guantanamo captive treated like dog
By Alec Russell in Washington
(Filed: 13/06/2005)
An insight into the shocking, banal and often frustrating world of the interrogators at Guantanamo Bay emerged yesterday with the publication of the log of their treatment of a prominent detainee.
In what is the first detailed, official record of how America extracts information from terrorist suspects the document chronicles 50 days of questioning of Mohammed al-Qahtani, a diehard follower of Osama bin Laden.
Among its more eye-catching disclosures is the account of how al-Qahtani had water poured on his head and pop music blared into his cell to keep him awake during all-night sessions.
The log, stamped "Secret Orcon", the acronym for ultra-confidential documents, highlights a range of bizarre psychological approaches used to try to make "Detainee 063" crack.
On Dec 20, 2002, al-Qahtani was taught how to "stay, come and bark" to "elevate his social status up to that of a dog" after he was told that a dog was held in higher esteem because it knew right from wrong. The Pentagon played down the leaked document yesterday. It said "professionals" were carrying out the interrogations and were following a "very detailed plan". It had previously said that al-Qahtani's treatment was always "humane".
The log records that, following months without progress, the interrogators toughened their tactics in December 2002 after the Pentagon approved harsher techniques.
His questioning often started at midnight. When he dozed off, the hits of the pop star Christina Aguilera were piped into the interrogation chamber to wake him up. At 7am on Dec 4 he was put to bed for four hours after a 12-hour session.
On other occasions he was strip-searched, briefly made to stand nude, told to bark like a dog and growl at pictures of terrorists, and had pictures of scantily-clad women draped around his neck.
When he threatened to go on a hunger strike and refused to drink, interrogators poured water on his head in a "game" dubbed "Drink Water Or Wear It". Approval for the new tougher tactics was removed in early 2003.
The leak will fuel the debate in Washington over the future of Guantanamo Bay and the age-old dilemma of when the ends, in this case the need for intelligence on al-Qa'eda, justify the means. Yesterday Democratic and Republican politicians called for the base in Cuba to be closed down.
The 84-page document, extracts of which are published in today's edition of Time magazine, confirms many of the accounts of detainees who have been released from Guantanamo Bay. It also underlines the frustrations experienced by the Americans as they try and seemingly frequently fail to gain meaningful intelligence from the detainees. About 540 of them, including al-Qahtani, are still held on the base.
While the CIA and the Pentagon say the detainees have yielded priceless intelligence, United States diplomats counter that reports of abuse of prisoners have been a disaster for America's reputation.
Last week President George W Bush indicated for the first time that a debate was under way about what to do with the detainees.
Al-Qahtani is suspected of being the "missing 20th hijacker" from the September 11 attacks. He was captured in Afghanistan.
I'm supposed to think this is wrong...?
In fact, I think a Dog deserves much better treatment then a Terrorist who kills the innocent in the name of their FALSE Religion
When he threatened to go on a hunger strike and refused to drink, interrogators poured water on his head in a "game" dubbed "Drink Water Or Wear It". Approval for the new tougher tactics was removed in early 2003.
Seems to me that his neck and head were still attached to his body....
What fraternity was he pledging...?
Yes, he was fed, washed, given a nice, dry place to sleep, and had all his fleas removed. He was even given a Koran for bedding.
I-Hate-A-Murica.
Was his head sawed off?
Was he killed in a roadside bombing, then had his charred body dragged out and hanged from a bridge while soldiers cheered?
Was his Koran confiscated and shredded, as is done to the Bible in Saudi Arabia?
Then I don't give a sh*t.
NEWS FLASH: VERY, VERY FEW AMERICANS GIVE A CRAP! What is wrong with the ACLU/MSM/left wing? They're making themselves the target of resentment. Jerks don't know they're committing suicide.
Well, animals should be treated like animals.
He dreamed of being on a jumbo jet and smash into buildings and kill thousands of innocent Americans. And when caught we poured water on his head to make him talk, and that's wrong?
Damned the duplicity of the Democrats. I am sick of them.
He's a prisoner. There's a war on. His treatment is about what to expect.
Soon all of those Gitmo's will be singling like Christina Aguilera, and she is gonna sue.
Ummmm .. he was suppose to be the 20th hijacker
I don't care what they do to him
Imagine, sleep deprivation and water poured on a terrorist's head. Oh the inhumanity of it all. I'm sure the left can hardly bear it. "How dare we treat terrorists with such disrespect?"
Gag me...
Don't forget the food.
These guys were made uncomfortabe, humiliated, and fatigued.
There's a difference.
There sure is.
This is torture! How would you like it if deadly dihydrogen monixide was poured on your head? Terri Schiavo was protected from it while she was in the custody of Florida law enforcement. That's the model all should follow.
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