The Wily Filipino

"Security Detainees."

Is there something wrong with this picture? Something... fishy, perhaps? Six people being held in Iraq are identifying themselves as Americans. And who are these people being held in Iraq?

Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, who is in charge of prisoners in Iraq, provided no details on the men, except to say they are among 4,400 "security detainees," a category distinct from prisoners of war or common criminals. She said the "security detainees" were suspected of carrying out or planning attacks on American or other troops in Iraq...

Her reference to the men, the first mention of possible Westerners among some 10,000 prisoners, was made during a tour of Abu Ghraib prison, where they are being held.

Wow -- almost 4500 "security detainees." 10,000 prisoners. Why, that's almost like San Quentin!

And who were these Americans?

"The truth is that the folks that we've scooped up have, on a number of occasions, multiple identifications from different countries," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said... "They're quite skilled at confusing people as to what their real nationality is or where they came from or what they're doing."

Well, we knew Rumsfeld was easily confused.

But wait -- "security detainees?"

Agence France-Presse quoted General Karpinski as saying the detainees "didn't fit into any category" and that Secretary Rumsfeld had ordered her to "categorize" them about a month ago. She said classifying the prisoners as security detainees gave the military a right to interview them that it did not have with prisoners of war...

"It's not that they don't have rights," General Karpinski said. "They have fewer rights" than prisoners of war.

Why, that's almost like Guantanamo Bay, except that there are about 4,000 more! And how many farmers, taxi drivers, and cobblers are at Abu Ghraib, particularly considering that law enforcement officials admit that "there was little certainty about the men's identities, nationalities or even what they were doing in Iraq?"

And what did Rumsfeld have to say about these "security detainees?" Here it is, short and sweet:

Mr. Rumsfeld said he could not explain what she meant by "security detainees."

And there's even more proof of Rumsfeld's confusion:

New intelligence assessments are warning that the United States' most formidable foe in Iraq in the months ahead may be the resentment of ordinary Iraqis increasingly hostile to the American military occupation, Defense Department officials said today.

That picture, shared with American military commanders in Iraq, is very different from the public view currently being presented by senior Bush administration officials, including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who once again today listed only "dead-enders, foreign terrorists and criminal gangs" as opponents of the American occupation.

The defense officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were concerned about retribution for straying from the official line.

Whatever happened to the shiny, happy Iraqi children who were going to wave American flags in the streets?

Posted by the wily filipino at September 17, 2003 10:53 AM