US general suspended over abuse
A US general has been suspended in Iraq over the alleged abuse of prisoners by US troops in jails she ran.
Brigadier General Janice Karpinski is among seven officers being investigated following claims that soldiers under their command mistreated detainees.
The army confirmed the suspension after US television broadcast images of US soldiers allegedly abusing inmates at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.
CBS TV says it has “dozens” of pictures showing a wide range of maltreatment.
Taken by US troops, many of the pictures show American troops watching in apparent approval.
The army announced last month that 17 soldiers had been suspended over the allegations of abuse of prisoners.
Six of them - military police - are facing court martial.
CBS said an army investigation had concluded that Gen Karpinski’s “lack of leadership and clear standards” led to problems in Abu Ghraib and three other prisons for which she was responsible.
The army has made no formal charges against her. She is the subject of an investigation that could result in a written reprimand, AFP news agency reported.
If this is true, the soldiers involved should be court-martialed, convicted and publicly punished so that the Iraqis know this is not our way. And the general who lost control of her troops should be busted down to private (assuming she wasn’t actually involved) or fired. A “written reprimand” is not enough. There is no excuse for this sort of behavior.
[update] John at Balloon Juice has more, with some very graphic pictures, in case you want to know why I am so pissed off.
2 Comments
There isn’t a severe enough punishment under the UCMJ for those people, from the General on down, if the allegations are proven at Courts-Martial !!
I’m not familiar with the case, but a written reprimand essentially ends an officer’s career. That may or may not be the most appropriate response–I hope they are conducting a proper investigation before they determine the end result.