New Iraq abuse pictures uncovered

London Evening Standard | December 17 2004

American Navy chiefs launched an inquiry last night after a new series of pictures emerged showing mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners.

Highly-trained U.S. Navy Seals, the equivalent of Britain's Special Boat Squadron, were prominent among servicemen humiliating or abusing PoWs.

The pictures were posted on a commercial website by a woman who said her husband brought them back from the war zone.

They show hooded and bloodied detainees being intimidated and threatened. One shows a naked prisoner with a servicemen's boot pinning him down at the neck.

One photo, of a serviceman giving a thumbs up and grinning gleefully, conveys the impression that there was a sense of enjoyment in the behaviour.

The pictures appear to have been taken in May 2003, indicating that Iraqi detainees were being mistreated from the very earliest days of U.S. control of the country.

It was months before the abuse at Abu Ghraib jail in Baghdad, which led to worldwide outrage, public shame for the U.S. military and a series of courts martial for the culprits.

Evidence that similar treatment was being meted out much earlier begs the question of just how widespread the cruelty was.

The website first came to light about three weeks ago, at which time the Navy tried to play down the photos. But in a major U-turn, military leaders last night ordered a full investigation and have set up a fresh inquiry team.

Officials made clear last night that commandos suspected of abuse would face disciplinary proceedings. Some of those shown in the pictures have already been interviewed and may be questioned again. More statements will be taken during an inquiry expected to last a month.

The Navy said some of the photographs were taken for legitimate intelligence-gathering purposes and showed commandos using approved procedures.

Taking photos of prisoners for administrative or intelligence purposes is an exception to Navy regulations that generally ban photos of PoWs.

Naval Special Warfare Group One, which oversees four Seal teams based in Coronado, California, will take over the inquiry. A new investigating officer has been assigned to handle the case.

Navy Commander Jeff Bender refused to say which of the Seal teams was involved. However, some photos show the insignia and patches of Seal Team Five, which is based in Coronado.

News of the investigation emerged 24 hours after the release of thousands of Pentagon files detailing a litany of abuses by U.S. marines, ranging from mock executions to setting prisoners on fire.

They were made public only after a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union under U.S. freedom of information legislation.