Red Cross report describes abuse in Iraq
The Red Cross has made a point, these past few days, of saying the abuse and torture was NOT isolated because it was “too widespread” for that.
A Red Cross report disclosed Monday said coalition intelligence officers estimated that 70-90 percent of Iraqi detainees were arrested by mistake and said Red Cross observers witnessed U.S. officers mistreating Abu Ghraib prisoners by keeping them naked in total darkness in empty cells.
The report by the International Committee of the Red Cross supports its allegations that abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers was broad and “not individual acts” — contrary to President Bush’s contention that the mistreatment “was the wrongdoing of a few.”
The agency said arrests allegedly tended to follow a pattern.
And keep in mind as you read the following that 70-90% of those ‘arrested’ in such vicious ways were blameless and arrested by ‘mistake” (a nice code-word, it seems to me, for deliberate terrorizing of the populace by an out of control bunch of thugs acting on orders.)
“Arresting authorities entered houses usually after dark, breaking down doors, waking up residents roughly, yelling orders, forcing family members into one room under military guard while searching the rest of the house and further breaking doors, cabinets and other property,” the report said.
“Sometimes they arrested all adult males present in a house, including elderly, handicapped or sick people,” it said. “Treatment often included pushing people around, insulting, taking aim with rifles, punching and kicking and striking with rifles.”
Even Tony Blair appears to be losing his stomach for Bush’s war.
U.K.’s Blair backs Red Cross release of Iraq report.