Pentagon Prison Report Details Inmate Attacks on MPs

NewsMax.com ^ | 5/06/04 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

Largely forgotten in the hysterical media coverage of the Iraqi prison abuse scandal is this tidbit: the vast majority of the alleged abuses were committed against the most hardened terrorist suspects and known troublemakers, many of whom took part in prison uprisings that put the lives of U.S. military guards at risk.

Section 34 of the now notorious Taguba Report begins: "The following riots, escapes, and shootings have been documented and reported to this Investigation Team." Here's a few selected highlights:

* June 9, 2003 - Riot and shootings of five detainees at Camp Cropper. (115th MP Battalion) Several detainees allegedly rioted after a detainee was subdued by MPs of the 115th MP Battalion after striking a guard in compound B of Camp Cropper.

A 15-6 investigation by 1LT Magowan (115th MP Battalion, Platoon Leader) concluded that a detainee had acted up and hit an MP. After being subdued, one of the MPs took off his DCU top and flexed his muscles to the detainees, which further escalated the riot. The MPs were overwhelmed and the guards fired lethal rounds to protect the life of the compound MPs, whereby 5 detainees were wounded.

* November 24, 2003 - Riot and shooting of 12 detainees . . . Several detainees allegedly began to riot at about 1300 in all of the compounds at the Ganci encampment. This resulted in the shooting deaths of 3 detainees, 9 wounded detainees, and 9 injured US Soldiers.

A 15-6 investigation by COL Bruce Falcone (220th MP Brigade, Deputy Commander) concluded that the detainees rioted in protest of their living conditions, that the riot turned violent, the use of non-lethal force was ineffective, and, after the 320th MP Battalion CDR executed "Golden Spike,” the emergency containment plan, the use of deadly force was authorized.

* November 24, 2003 - Shooting of detainee at Abu Ghraib(320th MP Battalion). A detainee allegedly had a pistol in his cell and around 1830 an extraction team shot him with less than lethal and lethal rounds in the process of recovering the weapon.

A 15-6 investigation by COL Bruce Falcone (220th Brigade, Deputy Commander) concluded that one of the detainees in tier 1A of the Hard Site had gotten a pistol and a couple of knives from an Iraqi Guard working in the encampment. Immediately upon receipt of this information, an ad-hoc extraction team consisting of MP and MI personnel conducted what they called a routine cell search, which resulted in the shooting of an MP and the detainee.

* December 17 2003 - Shooting by non-lethal means of detainee from Abu Ghraib (320th MP Battalion). Several detainees allegedly assaulted an MP at 1459 inside the Ganci Encampment, Abu Ghraib (BCCF). An SIR was initiated by SSG Matash (320th MP BRIGADE, S-3 Section).

The SIR indicated that three detainees assaulted an MP, which resulted in the use of a non-lethal shot that calmed the situation. [End of Excerpt]

Another incident much ballyhooed in the press as a "murder," looks a whole lot different in context of the Taguba Report, which says that on June 13, 2003:

"30-40 detainees rioted and pelted three interior MP guards with rocks. One guard was injured and the tower guards fired lethal rounds at the rioters injuring 7 and killing 1 detainee."

No wonder our understaffed military police units in Iraq felt they had to resort to intimidation and humiliation tactics in a bid to keep this gang of violent criminals and bloodthirsty terrorists at bay.

[talleyman]

Well put. BTT!
I care this much about the Iraqi terrorist prisoners (need a smaller font.)

[kattracks]

What these soldiers did was unacceptable.

I agree. My point is that the media and the muslims (and some posters) are selectively spouting the worst of the allegations, none of which have been proven.

[gcruse]

Agreed. What I should have stressed was the ineffective stupidity of what has been done.

[stig]

Yeah, neutralize them, but not torture them. We're fighting for our ideals here, not just our side. If it just becomes about our side, what's the point?

We are fighting to win the war on terror and protect ourselves, morals have got nothing to do with it. We've lost 700 brave young men and women because the democrats refuse to recognze this as a real war. So we continue to hamstring our troops to fight some wierd PC based war. At the first sign of some problems the democrats are all for hanging our troops out to dry.

[hchutch]

And we are seeing the other side emerge...

This does NOT excuse the actions of these soldiers, but it does seem to indicate that these were "hard cases" -insurgents of the Baathist or al-Qaeda variety. Multiple prison riots and attacks on guards occured. THESE PEOPLE WERE ABOUT AS INNOCENT AS RODNEY KING WAS. I think some heads need to roll, probably the Brigade CO and a few others because lines were crossed, but at the same time, there was SOME level of provcation, and the justice system will have to reflect that, too.

[ContemptofCourt]

You forgot to say why there were so many riots and escape attempts...because the prision was a joke.

Reading throught the report in its entirety, the prision was a colosal clusterf**k. It is amazing that our guys did not get killed. But a complete failure of leadership is no excuse for a few soldiers to resort to humiliating and sadistic tactics.

[SLB]

I have come to the conclusion that we need death penalty by military tribunal for some of these most hardened terrorists. Anyone who killed a soldier or iraqi civilian through either a terrorist bombing or an IED should be subject to the death penalty.

Prior to the beginning of the Korean war, May 1950, my father-in-law was an advisor to the Korean Army. It was discovered that one of the officers he worked with was a communist agent and was to assassinate my FiL as hostilities started. The tribunal was held within a few days and the death penalty carried out the next morning.
(When Mrs SLB and I were dating he would often preempt a planned date to a movie with "I have a six pack, why don't you stay here and watch some home movies with us?" Sooner or later he would get out the 8mm movie of the firing squad. I imagine I have seen that guy get shot at least six or seven times)

[meenie]

My goodness, now it turns out that the guards were the victims! I did serve as a military prison guard on two different occasions. Both times I was threatened with bodily harm and threats of escape. I was so intimidated, I kept a round in the chamber. This seemed to solve the problem. I never had to resort to leashes and dog collars. I never had time for pyramiding and/or nudity. I realize now how much I missed. In a small way I realize now what a victim I was when not being exposed to modern interrogation techniques.

[maica]

surely our government did not hand them to the media.
^^^

Someone inside the Pentagon did.

Where is the media outrage on this "outing", compared to the outing of Joseph Wilson's wife?

[Beau Schott]

 

 

And let us not forget:

 

CIA operative killed in Afghan prison riot
Associated Press
Posted on 11/29/2001

WASHINGTON - Rioting prisoners killed CIA officer Johnny "Mike" Spann at Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, the agency said Wednesday. He was the first American killed in action inside the country since U.S. bombing began seven weeks earlier.

Officials recovered his body from a prison compound only after northern alliance rebels backed by U.S. airstrikes and special forces quelled an uprising by Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners.

Spann, 32, leaves a wife, two daughters and an infant son.