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http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/story.jsp?story=524859
The things Bush didn't mention in his speech
The re-writing of Iraqi history is now going on at supersonic speed
By Robert Fisk
26 May 2004
I can't wait to see Abu Ghraib prison reduced to rubble by the
Americans - at the request of the new Iraqi government, of course. It
will be turned to dust in order to destroy a symbol of Saddam's
brutality. That's what President Bush tells us. So the re-writing of
history still goes on.
Last August, I was invited to Abu Ghraib - by my favourite US General
Janis Karpinski, no less - to see the million-dollar US refurbishment
of this vile place. Squeaky clean cells and toothpaste tubes and fresh
pairs of pants for the "terrorist" inmates. But now, suddenly, the
whole kit and caboodle is no longer an American torture centre. It's
still an Iraqi torture centre, and thus worthy of demolition.
The re-writing of Iraqi history is now going on at supersonic speed.
Weapons of mass destruction? Forget it. Links between Saddam and
al-Qa'ida? Forget it. Liberating the Iraqis from Saddam's Abu Ghraib
life of torture? Forget it. Wedding party slaughtered? Forget it.
Clear the decks for both "full (sic) sovereignty" and "chaotic
events". This is, at any rate, according to Mr Bush. When I heard his
hesitant pronunciation of Abu Ghraib as "Abu Grub" on Monday night, I
could only profoundly agree.
But we're in danger again of missing the detail. Just as the
unsupervised armed mercenaries being killed in Iraq are being
described by the occupation authorities as "contractors" or, more
mendaciously, "civilians" - so the responsibility for the porno
interrogations at Abu Ghraib is being allowed to slide into the summer
mists over the Tigris river. So let's go back, for a moment, to the
long weeks in which the Department of Bad Apples allowed its jerks to
put leashes around Iraqi necks, forced prisoners to have sex with each
other and raped some Iraqi lasses in the jail.
And let's cast our eyes upon that little, all-important matter of
responsibility. The actual interrogators accused of encouraging US
troops to abuse Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib jail were working for at
least one company with extensive military and commercial contacts with
Israel. The head of an American company whose personnel are implicated
in the Iraqi tortures, it now turns out, attended an "anti-terror"
training camp in Israel and, earlier this year, was presented with an
award by Shaul Mofaz, the right-wing Israeli defence minister.
According to Dr J P London's company, CACI International, the visit of
Dr London - sponsored by an Israeli lobby group and including US
congressmen and other defence contractors - was "to promote
opportunities for strategic partnerships and joint ventures between US
and Israeli defence and homeland security agencies".
The Pentagon and the occupation powers in Iraq insist that only US
citizens have been allowed to question prisoners in Abu Ghraib - but
this takes no account of Americans who may also hold double
citizenship. The once secret torture report by US General Antonio
Taguba refers to "third country nationals" involved in the
mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq.
General Taguba mentions Steven Staphanovic and John Israel as involved
in the abuses at Abu Ghraib. Staphanovic, who worked for CACI - known
to the US military as "Khaki" - was said by Taguba to have "allowed
and/or instructed MPs (military police), who were not trained in
interrogation techniques, to facilitate interrogations by 'setting
conditions' ... he clearly knew his instructions equated to physical
abuse". One of Staphanovic's co-workers, Joe Ryan - who was not named
in the Taguba report - now says that he underwent an "Israeli
interrogation course" before going to Iraq.
We know the Pentagon asked Israel for its "rules of engagement" in the
occupied West Bank and Gaza. Israeli officers have briefed their US
opposite numbers and, according to the Associated Press, "in January
and February of 2003, Israeli and American troops trained together in
southern Israel's Negev desert ... Israel has also hosted senior law
enforcement officials from the United States for a seminar on
counter-terrorism".
Staphanovic of CACI, who may also be Australian, was accused by
Taguba's army report of making "a false statement to the investigation
team regarding ... his knowledge of abuses". Another outside
interrogator, Adel Nakhla,who may be of Egyptian origin, was a witness
to the "stacking" of naked prisoners in Abu Ghraib. John Israel
"misled" investigators by denying he had witnessed misconduct and did
not have "security clearance". Israel, according to Titan - two of
whose employees were mentioned in Taguba's report - works for one of
the company's "sub-contractors". Titan refused to name the
"sub-contractor".
Why? Among the company's former directors is ex-CIA director James
Woolsey, one of the architects of the US invasion of Iraq, a friend of
Ahmed Chalabi and a prominent pro-Israeli lobbyist in Washington. Dr
London says CACI "does not condone or tolerate or endorse in any
fashion (sic) any illegal, inappropriate behaviour on the part of its
employees in any circumstances at any time anywhere".
But it is clear the torture trail at Abu Ghraib has to run much
further than a group of brutal US military cops, all of whom claim
"intelligence officers" told them to "soften up" their prisoners for
questioning. Were they Israeli? Or South African? Or British? Are we
going to let the story go?
Check out this Must read article about Abu Ghraib:
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=2591
Another example of Fisk's excellent writing is included at the
following URL:
http://www.robert-fisk.com/articles114.htm
The things Bush didn't mention in his speech
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