US Army Intel Specialist Admits Torture in Iraq; Marines, Navy SEALS also Torturing

[Ted Striker]

With deep remorse, former U.S. Army interrogator Specialist Tony Lagouranis talks about his own involvement with abusing detainees in Iraq and torture carried out by the Navy Seals. He apologizes to the Iraqi people and urges U.S. soldiers to follow their conscience. Lagouranis returned from Iraq in January and until now had given no live interviews. But Lagouranis says he now feels it his duty to speak out about what he witnessed in Iraq.

Notes:


* Force Recon was breaking bones

* Most "terrorists" picked up were innocent civilians

* Most prisoners that were picked up supplied almost NO useful intelligence whatsover after being tortured

* SEALS induced hypothermia, they use an anal thermometer to make sure the prisoners don't get too cold to the point they die

* CIA agent beat to death a prisoner at Abu Ghraib

* The FBI is doing interrogations in Iraq. WTF is the FBI doing in Iraq??

* Reports of prisoner abuse were discarded

Talks about using harsh treatment under orders:

I don't know why I allowed the army to order me to go against my training, and against my better judgment and against my own moral judgment. But I did. I should have just said no.

Force Recon making "house calls":

TONY LAGOURANIS: Yeah. North Babel was probably the place where I saw the worst evidence of abuse. This was from August to October of 2004, so, it was well after the Abu Ghraib scandal. And we were no longer using any harsh tactics within the prison, but I was working with a marine unit, and they would go out and do a raid and stay in the detainee's homes, and torture them there. They were far worse than anything that I ever saw in a prison. They were breaking bones. They were smashing people's feet with the back of an axe head. They burned people. Yeah, they were doing some pretty harsh stuff.

It's just a few bad apples, whatever.

I'm sure he just made all these stories up though.

It's only a matter of time before we see Tony Lagouranis being character assassinated. I'm sure Rush Limbaugh will be out with a story about how he beats his kid and has sex with a dog.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/15/1632233

[Boris Godunov]

While we're on the subject, the U.S. military has had to admit, despite a previous denial, that we used chemical weapons in Fallujah:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4440664.stm

What the hell are we doing?

[notyoueither]

Whose dog?

[Fake Boris]

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
While we're on the subject, the U.S. military has had to admit, despite a previous denial, that we used chemical weapons in Fallujah:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4440664.stm

What the hell are we doing?

What's the problem, Boris?

A spokesman at the UK Ministry of Defence said the use of white phosphorus was permitted in battle in cases where there were no civilians near the target area.

But Professor Paul Rodgers of the University of Bradford department of peace studies said white phosphorus could be considered a chemical weapon if deliberately aimed at civilians.

He told PM: "It is not counted under the chemical weapons convention in its normal use but, although it is a matter of legal niceties, it probably does fall into the category of chemical weapons if it is used for this kind of purpose directly against people."

You think they were firing WP indiscriminately into preschools?

[KrazyHorse]

The BBC's summary of the professor's statement is off. Classification of WP as a chemical weapon is not dependent on its target (i.e. civilian or military) but on its intended usage.

WP is not a chemical weapon when used as an obscurant or a target marker, but is one when used to chemically burn the adversary.

[notyoueither]

I'm sure it's much more humane to be blown up with an artillery round, have half your body shreded by concussion, but live.

[Drake Tungsten]

Terrrible if true. Then again, he could just be another Jimmy Massey.

On another note, I'm happy to see Boris is still pimping the retarded "US used chemical weapons in Fallujah!" meme. Maybe I can still get some fun out of that...

[KrazyHorse]

So you think that the ban on chemical weapons should be rescinded?

[notyoueither]

I think that WP used in combat against combatants is OK.

Same for land mines.

I don't see a whole lot of diff from the destruction to the human body from those over artillery or bombs.

Indiscriminate use that amounts to targetting civilians is another story.

[KrazyHorse]

What about phosgene against combatants?

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
It's only a matter of time before we see Tony Lagouranis being character assassinated.

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
he could just be another Jimmy Massey.

[notyoueither]

Gas, that effects every living thing in a wide area, has been banned, and all likely combatants have agreed to the ban.

WP is not the same as gas, and not all likely combatants have agreed to ban it.

It is fine to be Dutch or Canadian, and say 'oh no', you should not use WP or land mines, it is another to be the US, Russia, or China and give up weapons that could well save thousands of lives of your own soldiers.

[Drake Tungsten]

For KrazyHorse...

Use of white phosphorus is not specifically banned by any treaty, however the 1980 Convention on Conventional Weapons (Protocol III) prohibits the use of incendiary weapons against civilian populations or by air attack against military forces that are located within concentrations of civilians. [2] The United States is among the nations that are parties to the convention but have not signed protocol III.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_phosphorus_incendiary

Wikipedia may be wrong, but it jives with everything else I've read on the issue.

[notyoueither]

In fact, artillery is far more like gas in indescriminate destruction than WP rounds aimed at a stong point containing enemy combatants.

Why is arty OK?