US army held eight-year-old in Iraq prison

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=vn20050311111030644C184089

Children held by the United States army at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison included one boy who appeared to be only about eight years old, the former commander of the prison has told investigators, according to a transcript.

"He told me he was almost 12," Brigadier General Janis Karpinski told officials investigating prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. "He told me his brother was there with him, but he really wanted to see his mother, could he please call his mother. He was crying."

Karpinski's statement is among hundreds of pages of army records about Abu Ghraib released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Thursday.

<snip>

Karpinski did not say what had happened to the boy in her interview with Major General George Fay.

[saigon68]

1. WELL AT LEAST MICHAEL DIDN'T PUT HIS HAND ONTHE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

Could have been Much worse

[blogbear]

2. I'm not so sure...

that we were told the truth about the children in Vietnam now either. Just what should we believe, from what source, and why?

[Erika]

3. I remember Nam propoganda which said

5 year olds could be carrying grenades. God, this makes me sick. Shoot and ask questions later.

[blogbear]

4. I remember too...

thats what makes this so even more awful. It is "sick" as you say and even more "sick" is that this place seemingly hasn't learned a thing. Thank-you for your reply and best wishes to you.

[Nile]

6. Not propaganda.

There were many instances in which young children were given grenades with the pin pulled and told to hand them to American soldiers. The children were probably did not even know what they were carrying.

[DulceDecorum]

10. And who gave them the grenade?

One of the mercenaries hired for that very reason?

[cornermouse]

5. I found this story on the third page of the local paper.

First page was occupied with a story about a local winning lottery ticket and the Department of Transportation's road building plans now that the people of the state voted to take gas tax money out of the already severly strappped school system and put it into new roads.

...I'm thinking about moving back to the state next door.

[teryang]

7. Look at the bright side

He could have been with the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children killed by our government's policies over the years.

[ausiedownunderground]

8. He's just an Iraqi Kid. Who cares!!!! Obviously a US Marine!!

[0007]

9. I'm surprised they haven't put a muzzle on General Karpinski

yet!

Abu Ghraib and its stories are the sickest.