BAGHDAD, April 29: The general in charge of the US-run prison system in Iraq has been suspended and is under investigation over the alleged abuse of Iraqi detainees by US soldiers, a senior US military official said.
Brig Gen Janis Karpinski, head of the 800th Military Police Brigade, was suspended in late January after six US soldiers were indicted for mistreating prisoners at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, the official said. "This all happened between the 17th and 30th of January," the official said.
She and six other officials, not to be confused with the six soldiers who were indicted, are under investigation for poor management that could result in letters of reprimand, he said. "This goes to the heart that the commander is responsible for everything their unit does and fails to do. It is not enough in a military organisation to say well it was the troops that were responsible," the spokesman said.
The commander of US troops in Iraq, Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez, was "concerned about was that this was more than one bad apple, one bad incident", he said. Lt Gen David McKiernan led the investigation and recommended on April 4 that the US Army consider punishment for Gen Karpinski and the six other officials for their leadership of the prison system.
Gen McKiernan's findings are now being reviewed by another senior general. A letter of reprimand could trigger further action that could lead to the officials being expelled from the military. Gen Karpinski is the highest-ranking figure implicated in the scandal.
The US military's announcement came as the television news show, Sixty Minutes II, showed footage of the prisoners being abused by guards at Abu Ghraib. One of the guards blamed his superiors for failing to give him guidance on how to handle the prisoners at the facility.
Six US military police guards were formally charged last month with an array of abuses at Abu Ghraib. The six were accused of conspiracy, dereliction of duty, cruelty, maltreatment, assault and indecent acts against up to 20 prisoners at the jail last November and December.
They will learn soon if they face a court martial. A guard is currently under investigation and is expected to be charged with criminal conduct, and another three are still being investigated, the spokesman said.
Gen Sanchez has also ordered a review of the entire prison system in Iraq, taking a special look at interrogation methods, the spokesman said. But the military spokesman claimed the detention system had not broken down.
So far, the investigations have found "most everything was being done correctly", the official said. "Is there room for improvement? There is always room for improvement."
Human rights watchdog Amnesty International and former detainees have complained of poor treatment and squalid living conditions inside coalition-run detention centres in Iraq, which currently hold 8,000 people either arrested for criminal activities or attacks on the coalition in Iraq. Another 3,000 members of the Iranian opposition group the People's Mujahedeen are also being held. -AFP
