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| Iraq-Jordan |
| "Sgt Samuel Provance" Blames Intel Officers at Abu Ghraib |
| 2004-05-20 |
| Military intelligence officers at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq directed military police to take clothes from prisoners, leave detainees naked in their cells and make them wear women’s underwear, part of a series of alleged abuses that were openly discussed at the facility, according to a military intelligence soldier who worked at the prison last fall. Sgt. Samuel Provance said intelligence interrogators told military police to strip down prisoners and embarrass them as a way to help "break" them. The same interrogators and intelligence analysts would talk about the abuse with Provance and flippantly dismiss it because the Iraqis were considered "the enemy," he said. The first military intelligence soldier to speak openly about alleged abuse at Abu Ghraib, Provance said in a telephone interview from Germany yesterday that the highest-ranking military intelligence officers at the prison were involved and that the Army appears to be trying to deflect attention away from military intelligence’s role. .... And an attorney for one of the soldiers accused of abuse said yesterday that the Army has rejected his request for an independent inquiry, which could block potentially crucial information about involvement of military intelligence, the CIA and the FBI from being revealed. Provance was part of that military intelligence operation but was not an interrogator. He said he administered a secret computer network at Abu Ghraib for about six months and did not witness abuse. But Provance said he had numerous discussions with members of the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade about their tactics in the prison. He also maintains he voiced his disapproval as early as last October. "Military intelligence was in control," Provance said. "Setting the conditions for interrogations was strictly dictated by military intelligence. They weren’t the ones carrying it out, but they were the ones telling the MPs to wake the detainees up every hour on the hour" or limiting their food. The 205th Military Intelligence Brigade’s top officers have declined to comment publicly, not answering repeated phone calls and e-mail messages. Provance, a member of the 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion’s A Company, signed a nondisclosure agreement at his base in Germany on Friday. But he said he wanted to discuss Abu Ghraib because he believes that the intelligence community is covering up the abuses. He also spoke to ABC News on Sunday for a program that was to air last night. Provance was interviewed by Maj. Gen. George R. Fay -- who is looking into the military intelligence community’s role in the abuse -- and testified at an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a pretrial hearing, for one of the MPs this month. But Provance said Fay was interested only in what military police had done, asking no questions about military intelligence. ... Provance said when he arrived at Abu Ghraib last September, the place was bordering on chaos. .... Within days -- about the time Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller paid a visit to the facility and told Karpinski, the commanding officer, that he wanted to "Gitmo-ize" the place -- money began pouring in, and many more interrogators streamed to the site. More prisoners were also funneled to the facility. Provance said officials from "Gitmo" -- the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- arrived to increase the pressure on detainees and streamline interrogation efforts. .... |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #8 Right on, BigEd. About the Kerry button. I think that's definitely a possibility. As an ex-liberal, I can tell you they will stop at nothing to get their people elected. The end justifies the means, and that's the bottom line with them. They believe playing fair is playing stupid, and they are intent on playing to win. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2004-05-20 12:07:52 PM |
| #7 Provance was part of that military intelligence operation but was not an interrogator. He said he administered a secret computer network at Abu Ghraib for about six months and did not witness abuse. An I.T. guy that heard second hand descriptions? Yeah, he's on the record OK, but his whole thing of yapping to ABC seems fishy to me. Again I ask. Where's his hidden Kerry button? As a techie and not a fighting person, he has too much time to think over there. Look, I am an I.T. person, I support GWB, but I know a lot of I.T. persons who don't. |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-05-20 11:07:23 AM |
| #6 Might as well admit some in intel can be weird wannabe "men-in-black" cowboys, who consider themselves "elite" and above the law. The 205th MIB should go ahead and comment, because even if they're not, it sure looks like they're covering ass. Besides, what if intel said to "soften" the prisoners, then the trailer trash brigade went too far-- doing what they do (or would like to do, but can't) on their regular jobs in US prisons? Provance says intel was "in control setting conditions for interrogations, and having MPs wake the detainees every hour, and limiting their food," but he doesn't say they ordered nude foot-in-the-butt pyramids, etc. And I'm sure intel didn't order England and her boyfriend to have candlelight "sex" in front of the prisoners, and then film it, right? Anyway, I bet everyone's afraid of the CIC, and they should be. I agree with Jarhead, that the underlings shouldn't be punished for the crimes of their superiors. Hopefully the truth will come out and the Dems will quit trying to use the scandal as ammo for the election and against the WOT. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2004-05-20 11:02:15 AM |
| #5 No doubt that things happened in Abul Grab-Ass prison. I don't think Sgt. Samuel Provance added a single fact into that arena. I still think it's a BIG stretch that one General was critical of another in the presence of enlisted or even other officers. This just isn’t done in the military at least not in today’s professional military. They teach you NOT to do this in NCO and Officer Schools because it breaks down discipline. Maybe he heard something from someone who heard something but it sounds like rumors and innuendo from someone who wants his name in the paper. Notice that Sgt Provance was NOT the one that turned in the bad guys. That should tell you something. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2004-05-20 11:00:05 AM |
| #4 Also, the source has publicly identified himself and speaks on the record. |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-05-20 9:53:04 AM |
| #3 Good enough for me lets run with it! Wow the threshhold of 'facts' has really become blurred in the media. This accusation supplements much previous reporting. . |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-05-20 9:28:27 AM |
| #2 Yeah Sarge, not too many MGen's I know interview field grade officers let alone a Sergeant. Maybe he meant a member of his staff or something. However, I am concerned that there could be a kernel of truth here. If intel was involved they need to come clean, everyone in the chain up to the Battalion commander needs to be properly looked at & that's as far as I'd go. These guys were wrong in their deeds but we cannot afford to scapegoat any youngsters - I've seen that happen a few times in my career and it's repugnant. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2004-05-20 9:15:04 AM |
| #1 So the network administrator claims that he talked about abuse with someone that may be involved? Good enough for me lets run with it! Wow the threshhold of 'facts' has really become blurred in the media. When I was a Sgt in the military I RARELY had discussions with the commanding general on how my superiors were performing. Seems that this Sgt was well 'connected' indeed! BTW I also have some 'land' in Florida that I want unload sell to you. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2004-05-20 9:02:34 AM |