Marines Rescue Iraqis Tortured by Insurgents

[Rose Siding]

KARABILA, Iraq, Sunday, June 19 - Marines on an operation to eliminate insurgents that began Friday broke through the outside wall of a building in this small rural village to find a torture center equipped with electric wires, a noose, handcuffs, a 574-page jihad manual - and four beaten and shackled Iraqis.

The American military has found torture houses after invading towns heavily populated by insurgents - like Falluja, where the anti-insurgent assault last fall uncovered almost 20 such sites. But rarely have they come across victims who have lived to tell the tale.

The men said they told the marines, from Company K, Third Marines, Second Division, that they had been tortured with shocks and flogged with a strip of rubber for more than two weeks, unseen behind the windows of black glass. One of them, Ahmed Isa Fathil, 19, a former member of the new Iraqi Army, said he had been held and tortured there for 22 days. All the while, he said, his face was almost entirely taped over and his hands were cuffed.
...
The only possible explanation for the seizure he could think of was his time in the new Iraqi Army. Unemployed and illiterate, Mr. Fathil signed up after the American occupation began.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/19/international/middleeast/19torture.html

[bemildred]

1. Dang. They're as bad as us. nt

[Daphne08]

2. Yes, they are.

[TahitiNut]

3. We should be flattered.

After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. :evilfrown:

[radar]

11. Ah...

But, did they serve chicken for dinner?

[LeahD]

4. We torture, they torture, we torture, they torture.

When we invaded, it started it all. How do *, Darth Vader and Rummy sleep at night?!

[MasonJar]

5. Wonder who they learned that from? Well, at least they have

finally learned something.

[fooj]

6. "But rarely have they come across victims who have lived to tell the tale.

"tale"? Timing is questionable, at best. Just in time to defend the position re: Gitmo.

peace.

[Ms. Clio]

10. Yeah, sounds suspiciously like loads of other shit that's been shoveled

Like the so-called bloody "execution chamber" found in Fallujah that turned out to be a temporary morgue for Iraqis killed during the U.S. "clean up" of the City of Mosques.

[lumpy]

12. Hard to believe anything

that is being reported from Iraq.

[Ms. Clio]

14. I mean, come on, how ridiculous is this? The scene sounds totally staged

"The manual recovered - a fat, well-thumbed Arabic paperback - listed itself as the 2005 First Edition of "The Principles of Jihadist Philosophy," by Abdel Rahman al-Ali. Its chapters included "How to Select the Best Hostage," and "The Legitimacy of Cutting the Infidels' Heads."


Also" "But nine months ago, when continuing working meant risking the wrath of the Jihadists, he quit."

Makes me wonder just who really tortured him, and why.

[MisterP]

17. what are they, an up-and-coming medical equipment company?

[Ms. Clio]

18. Gosh, I dunno -- but the "jihadist manual" is really a disgusting joke

[MisterP]

41. do they also have trade magazines? "Jihadist Weekly,"

"Modern Decapitator"

[confludemocrat]

42. "Jihadist Weekly"!! I haven't laughed so hard in awhile

Yeah and its free you just fill out a survey card indicating how much you spend on bombs, rocket launchers, suicide vests, what purchasing authority you have and your position in the Jihad hierarchy (jihad manager, beheader, chief mullah, etc or line martyr).

[Bob3]

28. why would a Jihadst need a manual?

This is a very odd point. It's like the huge abandoned bunker complex they found a while ago - it doesn't make sense for a guerrilla force to have anything like this. No if the US Army were going to fight a guerrilla war you'd bet your boots their would be a manual. It's just so damned odd. And where the hell did they get the book Borders? It doesn't make any sense.

[Ms. Clio]

36. Yes, and did the reporter translate the title and read through it?

Or did someone -- from the U.S. military -- tell her that's what it was? Why no pictures of this manual, or the torture chamber, or the victim?

[Frederik]

32. A manual on "how to select the best hostage"

and "the legitimacy of cutting the infidels head"? I don't believe it for a second.

[Ms. Clio]

37. And do they need to be convinced that beheading infidels is legitimate?

I thought the Islamophobes always blamed such "barbarism" on the Quran.

[Frederik]

31. Yeah, curious timing

Just when the Bushistas came under attack for torturing people. "look, the enemy is even worse!"

[stickdog]

7. Wow! Did those guys study at the School of the Americas or something?

[daleo]

8. Maybe some of the insurgents had been former guests at Abu Grahib

They may have learned these techniques from the U.S. army. Assuming this isn't just a setup propaganda piece, which is always possible, particularly when there is no free press to raise the appropriate questions.

[Robbien]

9. When we do it, the NYT calls it abuse. Why are they screaming torture now?

Hey, its only a little bit of friendly hazing is it not?

[neohippie]

25. Their torture goes to eleven...

Our torture only goes to ten on the well known scale of one to ten, but their torture (it's because their evil doers) goes off the scale to eleven, so their torture is evil, and well more torturous

[Javaman]

13. Whose's going to resuce the Iraqis being tortured by the marines?

[stanwyck]

15. Torture center? Or, as Rush would say,

frat party? See, this is the deal. In order to "spread democracy" we have to be above reproach. Pretty tall order. But that's part of the deal. So, now that we've uncovered a "torture center"...which, don't get me wrong, is wonderful news, we have to make sure we're not operating any torture centers ourselves. We want to believe we're the good guys from the movies. We're the liberators. We're the saviors. And often we are. But that means we cannot commit atrocities. We must abide by the Geneva Convention. No exceptions. No loopholes. We must lead by example.
I don't trust this administration to show the Middle East how democracy works. Not when, from the very beginning, this administration has set out to dismantle the democratic process both in America and abroad.
Back to Rush, maybe he could do a tour of the various torture centers and let us know how they rank. Which is the most like a frat party, Rush? Let's start with Gitmo, Rush, and see what you think.
Get back to us on that, Rush.

[brucefan]

21. "What happens in Gitmo stays in Gitmo"

That offensive fat bloated sack of shit is actually selling T shirts with this slogan on his website.I LOATHE HIM.

[confludemocrat]

29. The insurgents kill "traitors" such as Iraqi army recruits

Why would they torture anyone when their record has been killing? Do the insurgents supposedly think these so-called Iraq army recruits have our secret plan? Everyone know we have no plan. This is assinine beyond measure.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

16. Excuse me, but what the heck is a "Jihad Manual"? This story smells bad.

[6000eliot]

19. You're right

It sounds to me like we're being "Jessica Lynched."

[Mizmoon]

23. I wonder if people doubted the North Vietnam POW torture stories

?

[Counterpuncher]

20. It does smell kinda "Jessica Lynch-ish"

and wasn't there a story about patrol jets "responding to ground fire" near the Syrian border and it actually turned out that it was just a wedding party that got capped in the dead of night?

And i like the Nazi quote; thanks Ms. Clio. at least the Nazis didn't play Auschwitz off as just one big frat party hazing.

[Ms. Clio]

38. Seems a lot of the Pentagon's bestest stories turn out to be lies

Thanks and welcome to DU, Counterpuncher -- I like your moniker.

[Mizmoon]

22. Iraqis Found in Torture House Tell of Brutality of Insurgents

KARABILA, Iraq, Sunday, June 19 - Marines on an operation to eliminate insurgents that began Friday broke through the outside wall of a building in this small rural village to find a torture center equipped with electric wires, a noose, handcuffs, a 574-page jihad manual - and four beaten and shackled Iraqis.

The American military has found torture houses after invading towns heavily populated by insurgents - like Falluja, where the anti-insurgent assault last fall uncovered almost 20 such sites. But rarely have they come across victims who have lived to tell the tale.

The men said they told the marines, from Company K, Third Marines, Second Division, that they had been tortured with shocks and flogged with a strip of rubber for more than two weeks, unseen behind the windows of black glass. One of them, Ahmed Isa Fathil, 19, a former member of the new Iraqi Army, said he had been held and tortured there for 22 days. All the while, he said, his face was almost entirely taped over and his hands were cuffed.

In an interview with an embedded reporter just hours after he was freed, he said he had never seen the faces of his captors, who occasionally whispered at him, "We will kill you." He said they did not question him, and he did not know what they wanted. Nor did he ever expect to be released.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/19/international/middleeast/19torture.html?hp&ex=1119240000&en=284852b89318a91a&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[Algorem]

24. Well now ya see there's yor reel torchrers right there ya see.

[Frederik]

26. 574-page jihad manual?

what the fuck is that?

[bemildred]

27. You have to admit that's a nice touch, eh?

Sort of a "Encyclopaedia Jihadica".
Full color glossy inserts and all I would expect.

[Frederik]

30. I would be very intersted

in seeing what's in it, if it really exists...

[bemildred]

34. Don't hold your breath while waiting to see it. nt

[confludemocrat]

33. Read the whole story-strange contradictions

He was held for 22 days supposedly, but said he didn't realize there were other hostages, yet he claims the insurgents kill everyone they take.

"The others were emaciated and battered. Mr. Fathil had fared the best. The other three were taken by medical helicopter to Balad, a base near Baghdad with a hospital."
He fared just well enough to give this story.

And no pictures were taken, not even the marks left by beating since the insurgents took pictures of those and he I guess could be ID'd by the insurgents that way? (WTF?).

[Ms. Clio]

39. Good points - and also note that he had quit working for the occupation

forces 9 months previously -- so why are the "insurgents" just getting around to torturing him now?

Probably some unit of the so-called "Iraqi army" tortured him instead.

[Blue_Tires]

35. this story stinks n/t

[Jackpine Radical]

40. How goddam conveeeeeeeeeeeeeenient.

3 to 1 it was staged like the Jessica Lynch rescue. Takers?