- Chilling TV pictures of Iraqi prisoners being tortured
and abused by US soldiers will damage Britain and signal the "end
of the story" for America in Iraq, it was claimed today.
-
- The pictures taken by US soldiers guarding Iraqis were
broadcast on TV news bulletins in the US last night.
-
- The graphic photos show hooded and naked prisoners being
abused, some sexually, with US soldiers smiling and looking on.
-
- They have caused a storm in the US and a number of soldiers
and officers have been suspended.
- But experts fear the damage has already been done to
the coalition cause in Iraq.
-
- Tony Blair's human rights envoy to Iraq, Ann Clwyd, said
that she had been "shocked" by the photographs.
-
- "I think they are absolutely terrible. I am shocked,"
she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
-
- The UK Labour MP said that she had raised the treatment
of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison with officials at the White House,
but they had denied there was a problem.
-
- "I made the point that there must be answers, because
I found it very difficult to get answers, and I was told by a very senior
person there 'We don't do this kind of thing'. Clearly the people in charge
did not know this was going on," she said.
-
- However she rejected comparisons with the treatment of
prisoners by the former regime of Saddam Hussein.
-
- "A small number of cases, horrible though they are
- you cannot compare that with the tens of thousands of people Saddam Hussein
was responsible for executing and torturing," she said.
-
- "You can't make that comparison."
-
- But former UK Foreign Secretary Lord Owen said Britain
would be "damaged" by the revelation while Arab commentators
said the US had now lost the battle to win over hearts and minds in Iraq.
-
- Military experts also claimed it could bolster support
for insurgents who have killed coalition troops and taken civilian prisoners
since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
-
- Lord Owen said the pictures were "damaging"
for Britain as well as the US.
-
- "I hope, I believe, nothing like this happens in
the British Army. But there is no joy for us.
- "What happens with the Americans of course impacts
on us. We are in it together. It hurts us as well.
-
- "Things go wrong in every conflict. But this is
very bad to happen at this time.
-
- "We could have done without it, it is very damaging.
You never pull back lost ground. At least it is being handled as far as
we can tell, robustly by the American military and these people will be
brought to justice and show that nobody is above the law."
-
- Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of Al-Quds Al-Arabi, a respected
London-based Arabic newspaper with worldwide circulation, said: "It
is absolutely shocking. I think this is the end of the story, the straw
that broke the camel's back, for America.
-
- "I think the British job will be extremely difficult
because we are associated with this torture and abuse, the closest ally
of a country which tortures prisoners.
-
- "People will be extremely angrysexual abuse is the
worst thing in that part of the world. It is shocking to all Muslims.
-
- "America has lost the battle completely.
-
- "I believe there will be more attacks.
-
- "Iraqis expected the Americans and British to bring
democracy and human rights and not the same thing as under Saddam.
-
- "We have replaced a brutal dictator with a brutal
super-power."
-
- Levels of violence in the British-controlled south of
Iraq have been much lower than in the US held north.
- It is suggested this reflects the more low-key approach
by the British military to governing compared with the more aggressive
American approach.
-
- British military figures have been privately critical
of US actions according to sources, claiming the approach is making matters
worse rather than better.
-
- Major Charles Heyman, a senior UK defence analyst with
Jane's Consultancy Group said: "It is a disgrace. A slur on the uniform
of the US Army. It will not play well inside the Arab world. In Iraq they
will say they have just exchanged one brutal regime for another one.
-
- "I don't think there will be an explosion of rage
on the streets, but the opposition will say, 'We told you so, we knew this
was happening'.
-
- "A significant percentage of support for the US
will transfer to the insurgents."
-
- Maj Heyman said the US decision not to invade Fallujah
reflects a more considered approach and the US were now "listening"
to their British military colleagues.
-
- © Thomas Crosbie Media, 2004.
-
- http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=125377503&p=yz5378366
-
-
- Comment
From Michelle Magee
- 4-30-4
-
- Hi Jeff,
-
- This has been going on since at least last spring.
-
- My sister showed me a beret last summer and asked me
if I "felt" anything while holding it. She had been having weird
things go on in her house since it was brought there. I told her no, then
asked what it was. While thinking this was a "good thing"...she
told me it came from and Iraqi soldier. Her boyfriends cousin had just
gotten back from Iraq and brought it with him.
-
- She went on to tell me how he and his group caught some
Iraq soldiers walking on the side of the road. They stopped them and took
ALL of their clothes etc, then left them on the side of the road. She
didn't say they were beaten or anything, but I wouldn't think they would
JUST take their clothes and nothing else.
-
- I was appalled! Her son whom was about 10 years old,
was thinking it was such a big thing and "go America", "yeah
we got those Iraqi's..." "we'll kill 'em all...hee hee hee",
etc.
-
- I told her and him they should be ashamed! It's 100+
degrees over there and these Iraq soldiers probably died in the heat!
They both were saying..."well, they're killing our people".
I explained, "How would you feel if people came into the US and took
over....wouldn't you fight for YOUR country? How can you blame them for
protecting theirs?" How awful to teach a child this is a good thing.
-
- By the time I was done speaking my mind, the beret went
out to the old junker car, and my sister and her son were sitting there
without smiles on their faces.
-
- My point....this has been happening for probably the
whole war. It's just now coming out in the news.
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