Abu Ghraib Probe Should Focus on Senior Officers

[thedrifter]

05-25-2004

Abu Ghraib Probe Should Focus on Senior Officers







By David DeBatto



As the hearings and investigations into the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison continue, they have ushered in a new round of finger-pointing by top Pentagon brass. Today, the Pentagon announced that Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, military commander of Iraq, was being replaced. They claim this move is part of an ?already planned? rotation. Embattled commanders are almost always part of an ?already planned? rotation, it seems.



Thus far, not one of the senior military or civilian leaders has admitting to knowing anything about the abuses that took place at Abu Ghraib prior to reading about them in Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba?s AR 15-6 report. Allegations about a wider policy of abusive interrogation techniques in violation of the Geneva Convention have also been denied. Neither has any military or civilian officials above the rank of staff sergeant been criminally charged in this case.



In fact, all of the Army officers that have been identified as having been responsible in one way or another for the abuse scandal have only received administrative penalties such as ?letters of reprimand? and ?suspension of command.? Since the fox (in this case the Army) is guarding the henhouse (in this case the Pentagon) this does not come as much of a surprise. It reeks to high heaven, but it is not surprising. There are so many players here (high-ranking officers) who have not been charged with anything yet, that it is difficult to keep track without a scorecard. Let?s talk about who knew, or should have known what, and when.



Anyone who has been in the military (and in this case the Army) longer than five minutes knows that one thing the institution is very good at is observing the chain of command, especially at the highest levels, where their bum-kissing jobs depend on unwavering, well, bum kissing.



From all the accounts released thus far, 205th Military Intelligence Brigade commander Col. Thomas Pappas met on an almost daily basis with Sanchez shortly after Pappas assumed command of Abu Ghraib on Nov. 19, 2003. These meetings were, according to published reports, also attended by Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, the U.S. Army?s top military intelligence officer in Iraq. Those meetings were held, at least in part, if not as a direct result of, a report issued to Sanchez by Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, the previous commander of the Guantanamo Detention Facility at our naval base in Cuba. Miller has recently been named commander of all U.S. military detention facilities in Iraq, replacing Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, commander of the 800th Military Police Brigade and an Army Reserve officer. In his report, Miller said, among other things, that the MPs should play a more ?active role? in the interrogation process and assist military intelligence personnel in their duties in ?setting the conditions? for interrogations.



Since the investigations have clearly established that Sanchez transferred command of Abu Ghraib to Pappas in November 2003, Pappas? role and responsibility in any and all allegations of prisoner abuse are, or should be, obvious. Miller apparently laid the framework for Pappas? directives in his report to Sanchez issued in September 2003 in which he recommends much harsher interrogation techniques and living conditions for certain detainees at Abu Ghraib. His recommendations have been described as the ?Gitmoization? of the facility. His culpability should also be clear in this case.



Fast was, and still is, as of this writing, the top Army intelligence officer in Iraq, reporting directly to Sanchez. She was also privy to all reports, directives, memos and orders pertaining to interrogations and processing of detainees deemed to be of intelligence value. In terms of the chain of command, Pappas should, and I say should, have reported to her once he assumed command of Abu Ghraib. It appears, according to published reports, that instead he reported directly to Sanchez. Regardless, Fast was in the loop for the entire period of time these allegations took place.



As for the hapless Karpinski, whom Gen. Taguba recommended be relieved of command for her leadership failures, here?s what The New York Times reported today: ?Also on Monday, the leader of the Army Reserve suspended (emphasis added) Brig. Gen. Janis L. Karpinski, the commander of the 800th Military Police Brigade, pending a review of the misconduct involving members of her unit while she was commander at Abu Ghraib prison.? That?s right: Nearly four months after CENTCOM launched its investigation into the abuses, and nearly four months after Sanchez issued her a General Officer ?Memorandum of Admonishment? (whatever that is), the Army has still not even carried out Taguba?s recommendation that she be fired from the 800th MP Brigade.



I would love to go on and talk more in-depth about the high-ranking players involved here, but space constraints prohibit me from doing so. Let me just say that it is inconceivable, based on all the evidence presented thus far in the published reports of investigations, that any officer in the chain of command at Abu Ghraib ? whether, military intelligence or military police ? was unaware of the interrogation directives and practices being used by soldiers at the prison. The notion, as put out repeatedly by the Pentagon and the White House, that this was the result of the actions of only ?a few bad apples? does not even pass the giggle test.



Gen. John Abizaid, CENTCOM commander, testified recently that an investigation by the Army?s inspector general in February of detention and interrogation practices in Iraq and Afghanistan found no ?pattern of abuse of prisoners.? Really? Asked why he didn?t respond immediately to International Committee of the Red Cross warnings of abuses at the prison, Abizaid said, ?We have a real problem with ICRC reports and the way that they?re handled and the way that they move up and down the chain of command. Abizaid did admit ?There were failures in systems.?



Here?s the bottom line: There needs to be criminal investigations and then court-martials, if warranted, of every player involved in this case up to Sanchez and even beyond if that?s where the buck stops. That includes high-ranking civilians at the Pentagon. Reprimands, suspensions of command, relieving officers of their command, ?career ending? letters of reprimand simply do not cut it. Especially in light of the fact that all of the enlisted soldiers charged so far are looking at ?career ending? stretches in Leavenworth.



This incident has in many ways done more damage to the United States and its ability to continue in an international leadership role, than the attacks on 9/11. Business as usual by the Pentagon in protecting its own simply will not suffice this time.



We should expect a full and impartial accounting of all those responsible for this disaster. The American people deserve nothing less.



Contributing Editor David DeBatto is a retired Army staff sergeant and Counterintelligence Special Agent who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom where he was injured in combat. He is currently writing a novel based upon his military service. He can be reached at david@ciadvisor.net. Send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.

http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/....26245707084155


Ellie