Probe clears top US officials of failure: Abu Ghraib abuse scandal
WASHINGTON, Aug 19: An investigation into an abuse scandal at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison faults the actions of more than two dozen people but clears senior military officers of all but leadership failings, US defence officials said on Thursday.
The long-awaited report by Army Major General George Fay examines the role of military intelligence in the scandal, which erupted with the disclosure this year of images of prison guards abusing and humiliating Iraqi prisoners.
The report was expected to go to Congress next week, but some highlights of its findings have trickled out to the press. Only seven rank-and-file military police guards have been charged since the scandal broke. Some have defended their actions by saying they were directed and encouraged by military interrogators.
But the sources, who asked not to be quoted because the report was still being reviewed by the Pentagon leadership, said a key finding was that the abuse of prisoners occurred separately from military interrogation and was carried out by individuals acting on their own.
It faulted senior military leadership in Iraq for failing to supervise and provide resources to those running the prison, allowing chaotic conditions in which abuse flourished, they said.
Multiple guidance issued from higher authorities added to the confusion of subordinates as to what was allowed, the sources said. But the most senior official assigned direct responsibility for action at the prison was the commander of the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade, Colonel Thomas Pappas, who was cited for leadership failings, the sources said.
In all, the report faults the actions of more than two dozen people - mainly military intelligence personnel but also civilian contractors _ as well as some military police guards and medical personnel.
Medical personnel were cited for failing to report evidence of abuse among prisoners they had treated, they said. The report's findings would be referred to commanders for possible disciplinary action, which could range from career-ending administrative punishment to criminal prosecution.
Pentagon sources cautioned that the report is a complex piece of work hundreds of pages long, with numerous attachments. One section deals with an analysis of how the combined joint task forces used to conduct military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan could be reorganized to better integrate military intelligence and detainee operations, the sources said.
Gen Fay's investigation was expanded in June after Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez, the US commander in Iraq at the time, recused himself as its overseer when questions were raised about guidance he gave on interrogation techniques that could be used.
Gen Paul Kern was named to oversee the probe, and Gen Sanchez, who is now stationed in Germany as head of the army's 5th Corps, submitted to interviews. During a period between September and October of last year, Gen Sanchez is reported to have approved letting senior officials at Abu Ghraib use high-pressure tactics on prisoners without seeking authorization from higher-ranking officials outside the prison.
The guidance was ended after objections were raised by the US Central Command. The techniques were reported to have included the use of "military dogs, temperature extremes, reversed sleep patterns, sensory deprivation and diets of bread and water on detainees whenever they wished". -AFP
