Where were the gutless asshole AP APologists during the reign of terror of the Taliban and Saddam?
Note that this is NOT an AP image...
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| AP Blames 'Natural Causes' Deaths on Military |
| 2005-03-16 |
| WASHINGTON - At least 108 people have died in American custody in Iraq and Afghanistan, most of them violently, according to government data provided to The Associated Press. Roughly a quarter of those deaths have been investigated as possible abuse by U.S. personnel. And the REST of them are natural or justified, except for the 22 were killed in an insurgent mortar attack - keep reading! The figure, far higher than any previously disclosed, includes cases investigated by the Army, Navy, CIA and Justice Department. Some 65,000 prisoners have been taken during the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, although most have been freed. The Pentagon has never provided comprehensive information on how many prisoners taken during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have died, and the 108 figure is based on information supplied by Army, Navy and other government officials.So the Pentagon never provided any information, but the "Army, Navy, and other government officials" did? Of the prisoner deaths: _At least 26 have been investigated as criminal homicides involving the abuse of prisoners.This is ALL the story should be talking about _At least 29 are attributed to suspected natural causes or accident. Out 0f 65,000? Sounds safer than living in D.C.. _Twenty-two are blamed on an insurgent mortar attack on April 6, 2004, on Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. SHAME on the military for not protecting the prisoners! SHAME!! _At least 20 are attributed to "justifiable homicide," where investigations found U.S. troops used deadly force appropriately, primarily against rioting, escaping or threatening prisoners. To human rights groups, the deaths form a clear pattern.of COURSE "Despite the military's own reports of deaths and abuses of detainees in U.S. custody, it is astonishing that our government can still pretend that what is happening is the work of a few rogue soldiers," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. "No one at the highest levels of our government has yet been held accountable for the torture and abuse, and that is unacceptable." Y'all asked, but Rummy wouldn't resign. To the Pentagon, each death is a distinct case, meriting an investigation but not attributable to any single faulty military policy. Pentagon officials point to a number of military investigations which found that no policy condoned abuse. Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. John Skinner said the military has taken steps to reduce the chance of violent uprisings at its prisons and the use of excessive force by soldiers, and also has improved the health care available to prisoners. "The military has dramatically improved detention operations, everything from increased oversight and improved facilities to expanded training and the availability of state-of-the-art medical care," he said in a statement. |
| Posted by:Bobby |
| #3 Make that justification. |
| Posted by: cog 2005-03-16 3:04:22 PM |
| #2 "Insurgents", "Activists", "Gunmen", "Freedom Fighters", "Holy Warriors", "Marytrs", and terrorists by any other name surpass those murder figures weekly in Iraq alone. When can I expect reporting with a similar breakdown from the mainstream media about the cause, circumstances, and justigication or condemnation about those figures? Or I should say, when will they start? |
| Posted by: cog 2005-03-16 3:03:45 PM |
| #1 Even beside the fact that they intentionally lie, conspire, obfuscate, and appease with disingenuous articles such as this, what does this (Afghaniztsan / Iraq / to today) cover - a 3+ year timeframe? Where were the gutless asshole AP APologists during the reign of terror of the Taliban and Saddam? Note that this is NOT an AP image... |
| Posted by: .com 2005-03-16 2:12:11 PM |