Videotape Shows Saddam's Men Torturing Iraqis
Thursday, October 30, 2003
WASHINGTON — A grisly videotape showing acts of torture carried out by Iraqi
Republican Guard and Saddam Fedayeen militiamen has been declassified and
obtained by Fox News.
After the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in April, an Iraqi in Baghdad gave
the tape to the U.S. Army's 308th Civil Affairs Brigade, V Corps. He told the
soldiers he had more videos and was directly involved in their taping, having
been ordered to do so by the Republican Guard.
The 23-minute long tape contains several scenes of Saddam Fedayeen (search)
fighters carrying out corporal punishment and at least one execution, probably
of a Saddam Fedayeen member.
Sources told Fox News that the man who handed over the current tape is
cooperating with U.S. troops and will provide more tapes.
The punishments include fingers being chopped or shot off, tips of tongues
being cut off, wrists being broken by sharp blows from a wooden rod, lashes by
whip or cane, a bound man being tossed off a building, a beheading involving a
sword and a knife and a man being humiliated by riding a donkey backwards.
Several scenes show charges being read out, ranging from disobeying an order to
desertion, before punishments are inflicted.
"When you have people filming in front of crowds cheering and clapping -- you
have people cutting off people's tongues and heads and chopping off their
fingers and hands throwing them off three-story buildings -- you learn
something about a group of people and how they lived their lives and treated
their people and we are so fortunate that they are gone and those 23 million
people are liberated," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters during
a Pentagon briefing Thursday.
The filming locations appear to be public squares and military installations.
In attendance are dozens of black-clad Fedayeen, uniformed Republican Guard
(search) members, civilians and children.
The U.S. military thinks the tape was most likely recorded at a military
installation near Baghdad sometime between 1998 and the fall of the regime, but
could have been made as early as 1995.
Tom Malinowski, a director of Human Rights Watch (search), a New York-based
advocacy group, said the tape provided a clear picture of how the former
government instilled fear in the Iraqi people.
"It reminds us that Saddam's regime took sadistic pleasure in documenting the
horrors it perpetrated on the Iraqi people," Malinowski said. "In fact, they
wanted people to know this, because the purpose of this treatment was to
terrorize the population so no one would even think of opposing Saddam."
The tape quality is poor; there is no audio in some parts and very faint sound
in others.
Military intelligence sources told Fox News they believed the tape was
authentic, adding that it was by far the most graphic example of the fallen
regime's torture practices.
Similar tapes have been found in Iraqi prisons, military facilities and even
the private video collections of Uday and Qusay, Saddam's sons, who were killed
by U.S. forces in a dramatic July shootout. Copies of several tapes have become
brisk sellers in Baghdad marketplaces.
Pentagon officials have been pushing to get the recovered tapes declassified, a
process now starting to happen. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz has
requested they be released to the public.
Speaking to local television stations around the United States Wednesday,
Wolfowitz suggested former regime members had become the "dead-enders"
attacking U.S. and coalition troops and cooperating Iraqis since the end of
major combat.
"Thousands of vicious sadists who are left over from the old regime ... think
that if they terrorize Iraqis and scare away Americans, that they can bring
back Saddam Hussein and his evil dictatorship," Wolfowitz said. "Small numbers
of a few thousand can make a great deal of trouble until they're cleaned up."
The Saddam Fedayeen militia — the name translates as "Saddam's men of
sacrifice" — was created by Uday in 1995 but later turned over to Qusay.
The Fedayeen had a total strength reportedly between 18,000 and 40,000 troops,
according to GlobalSecurity.org, and was composed of young soldiers recruited
from regions loyal to Saddam.
It reported directly to the Presidential Palace, rather than through the army
command, was responsible for patrol and anti-smuggling duties and operated
completely above and outside political and legal structures.
Though at times improperly termed an "elite" unit, the Fedayeen was a
politically reliable force that could be counted on to support Saddam against
domestic opponents, according to GlobalSecurity.org.
It started out as a rag-tag force of some 10,000-15,000 "bullies and country
bumpkins" but later helped protect Saddam and Uday and carried out much of the
regime's dirty work. A special "death squadron" was created to carry out secret
executions.
Fox News' Bret Baier and Ian McCaleb contributed to this report.
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| User: "Woodswun" |
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| Title: Re: Videotape Shows Saddam's Men Torturing Iraqis |
31 Oct 2003 09:29:06 PM |
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In article <20031031053231.18482.00000007@mb-m03.aol.com>, (TonyZ2001) wrote:
Videotape Shows Saddam's Men Torturing Iraqis
Thursday, October 30, 2003
WASHINGTON — A grisly videotape showing acts of torture carried out by Iraqi
Republican Guard and Saddam Fedayeen militiamen has been declassified and
obtained by Fox News.
Is someone supposed to be surprised/shocked by this? Happens in a lot of
countries. In fact, I think the US even put a couple of leaders who did similar
things into power .... like Baby Doc.
Woods
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| User: "TonyZ2001" |
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| Title: Re: Videotape Shows Saddam's Men Torturing Iraqis |
02 Nov 2003 05:16:02 AM |
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woodswun@tepidmail.com
wrote:
tonyz2001@aol.com (TonyZ2001) wrote:
Videotape Shows Saddam's Men Torturing Iraqis
Thursday, October 30, 2003
WASHINGTON — A grisly videotape showing acts of torture carried out by
Iraqi
Republican Guard and Saddam Fedayeen militiamen has been declassified and
obtained by Fox News.
Is someone supposed to be surprised/shocked by this? Happens in a lot of
countries. In fact, I think the US even put a couple of leaders who did
similar
things into power .... like Baby Doc.
Woods
I expect such drivel from self hating Americans.
Tony
"About the time of the end, a body of men will be raised up, who will turn
their attention to the prophecies, in the midst of much clamor and opposition."
Sir Isaac Newton
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| User: "Woodswun" |
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| Title: Re: Videotape Shows Saddam's Men Torturing Iraqis |
02 Nov 2003 10:19:53 AM |
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In article <20031102061602.18396.00000114@mb-m14.aol.com>, (TonyZ2001) wrote:
woodswun@tepidmail.com
wrote:
(TonyZ2001) wrote:
Videotape Shows Saddam's Men Torturing Iraqis
Thursday, October 30, 2003
WASHINGTON — A grisly videotape showing acts of torture carried out by
Iraqi
Republican Guard and Saddam Fedayeen militiamen has been declassified and
obtained by Fox News.
Is someone supposed to be surprised/shocked by this? Happens in a lot of
countries. In fact, I think the US even put a couple of leaders who did
similar
things into power .... like Baby Doc.
Woods
I expect such drivel from self hating Americans.
I see that it bothers you that anyone would bring up our past. Good, that's a
starting point. How about getting to the point where you insist we don't do
stuff like that anymore? Then we can worry about the log in the eyes of other
leaders!
Woods
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