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Taguba Report: Analysis

Analysis: The Taguba Report

[Click for larger photo]
Abu Ghraib Prison near Baghdad.
(Photo courtesy of Digitalglobe.com)

The Events

In late April 2004, photographs surfaced which depicted abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners held at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, while in U.S. custody. Some of the pictures showed U.S. soldiers laughing and giving thumbs-up signs while posing with naked Iraqi prisoners made to stand, stacked in a pyramid or positioned to perform simulated sex acts.

The appearance of the photos follows the March 2004 announcement by the U.S. Army that six members of the 800th Military Police Brigade were being investigated for allegedly abusing about 20 prisoners at Abu Ghurayb. The details of the investigation are contained in a 53-page report by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba. The military has filed criminal charges against seven U.S. soldiers allegedly involved in the abuse, and the Army says more soldiers are expected to be charged in the future. The Pentagon has also suspended Brigadier General Janis L. Karpinski, who was in charge of the prison.

As a result of these allegations becoming public, President Bush gave two interviews to Alhurra Television and Al Arabiya Television on May 5, 2004. United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has also come under heavy criticism for these alleged incidences, and has testified to the Senate and the House of Representatives about these inclidents. Thus far, President Bush has supported Rumsfeld despite some calls for the latter to resign, while criticizing the alleged acts at the prison as "shameful and appalling," and "a stain on America's honor." Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, the head of U.S. detention centers in Iraq, has said the military has no plans to close the Abu Ghraib prison, and blamed the abuse of detainees there on poor leadership and disregard for the rules.

The Report [complete text of report]

In conjunction with the photos of alleged abuse, the Army has released the report authored by Maj. Gen. Taguba on the conditions at the Abu Ghraib prison. The report concludes that U.S. military police in Iraq inflicted "sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuse" on prisoners in their custody numerous times. Seven soldiers face criminal charges in the case and six others, all officers or noncommissioned officers, have been reprimanded.

The major points of the report include:

The key senior leadership of the Army's 800th Military Police Brigade and the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade failed to comply with established regulations, policies and command directives in preventing detainee abuses at Abu Ghraib prison and Camp Bucca from August 2003 to February 2004.
The report was based on testimony from two soldiers, and over 50 interviews by the Army's Criminal Investigation Command of military police, potential suspects and detainees. Evidence also included "numerous photos and videos portraying in graphic detail actual detainee abuse" taken by detention facility personnel at Abu Ghraib.
Examples of mistreatment cited by the report include:
- Threatening detainees with a 9 mm pistol
- Pouring cold water on naked detainees
- Threatening males with rape
- Forcing groups of male detainees to masturbate themselves while being photographed and videotaped
- A male MP guard having sex with a female detainee
- Beating detainees with a broom handle and a chair
- Sodomizing a detainee with a chemical light and perhaps a broom stick
- Threatening detainees with military dogs
- Attaching wires to extremities, including the penis
- Accusing prisoners of being homosexual
- Forcing detainees into compromising positions while naked

Commentary on the Alleged Abuses:

John Weisman: The Worst Is Yet to Come
"So far as I'm concerned, the one unmistakable lesson of Abu Ghraib is that most of the individuals who wear stars on their collars are totally lacking in moral courage."

Peter Brookes: Stealing Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

"The long knives are out, not only for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, but for our Iraq policy as well. But ... the political broadsides tend to obscure the fact that -- after a couple of tough weeks -- things are going well militarily and politically in Iraq."

Joe Galloway: Time for Rumsfeld to Go
"This is not about training and education and instruction on the finer points of the Geneva Conventions ... This is about right and wrong. First graders know that. Any policeman who can't figure that out needs some time on the other side of the bars."

David Hackworth: Hanging Out the Troops
"From the very top of the Pentagon down to the 320th Military Police Battalion, the brass have spent months covering up obscene behavior while placing the sole blame on Joe and Jill Grunt."

David DeBatto: A Disaster, Pure and Simple
"I think everyone will admit that this one incident has set back the entire effort of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) to square one, if not beyond."

Hot Links:

The Taguba Report
Read the complete text of the Taguba Report on U.S. military abuses in Abu Ghraib.

Poll: Should Rumsfeld Go?
Should Donald Rumsfeld step down as a result of this scandal? Vote your opinion, and discuss.

Talk to Your Elected Representatives
Contact the U.S. government and the Department of Defense directly, and let them know what you think of the situation.

The Setting:

Abu Ghraib Prison
(pronounced ah-boo GRAYB)

Location:
20 miles west of Baghdad

History:
A notorious prison during the rule of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, that held as many as 15,000 persons (in 2001). Saddam declared amnesty for prisoners in October 2002, and the prison was reported to be deserted following the amnesty. However, many prisoners remained unaccounted for. Some press reports mention mass graves within the perimeter or near the prison; satellite imagery has provided no confirmation.

Layout:
Built by British contractors in the 1960s, the Abu Ghraib facility covers 280 acres, including 4 kilometers of security perimeter and 24 guard towers. The prison is composed of five compounds, each surrounded by guard towers and high walls. Cells measure approximately four meters by four meters and hold an average of 40 persons.