US frees Iraqi kidnappers so they can spy on insurgents

[Judi Lynn]

US frees Iraqi kidnappers so they can spy on insurgents
Americans undermining local police attempts to crack down on wave of abductions
By Patrick Cockburn
20 March 2005


US intelligence and military police officers in Iraq are routinely freeing dangerous criminals in return for a promise to spy on insurgents, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.

In one case where the IoS has seen documents, police rescued a doctor after a gun battle with his kidnappers and arrested two of the kidnap gang, who made full confessions. But US military police took over custody of the two men and let them go. The doctor had to flee to Egypt after being threatened by the gang.

The police station where the men were held recorded that they had been handed over to an American military police lieutenant for transfer to the US-run Camp Cuervo detention centre. But an American military spokesman told the IoS that there was no record of the two prisoners in their database.

"The Americans are allowing the breakdown of Iraqi society because they are only interested in fighting the insurgency," said a senior Iraqi police officer. "We are dealing with an epidemic of kidnapping, extortion and violent crime, but even though we know the Americans monitor calls on mobiles and satellite phones, which are often used in ransom negotiations, they will not pass on any criminal intelligence to us. They only want to use the information against insurgents."
(snip/...)

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=621845

[BrendaStarr]

1. That's like when they released some people from Guantanemo to spy on their

buddies.

Then when the guys killed some more US troops in Afghanistan instead of spying for the Americans the Bush allies blamed "liberals" for forcing the Bush administration to release those men.

In fact, abusing people into turning into spies is what the torture is all about in the system.

You round up people adhoc and torture them to try to get them to return and be stoolies.

And then you lie about it, and because the paid right wing message boarders cover every mixed board on the web and the mainstream news media is not really interested in telling people what is going on they get away with it.

[thecrow]

2. The military has absolutely lost their minds.

[LynnTheDem]

3. ...typeless over the depth of stupidity...

[MsMagnificent]

4. Following the Rule of Law the American Way!

*disgusted* that's not the American Way I was brought up with!

[President Kerry]

5. wow.. how about we bring our own criminals over there..

By that rationale, it works both ways - we don't pay to keep em in prison, and they'll do "community service" in Iraq.

[daleo]

6. I doubt if it works anyway. n/t

[leveymg]

7. Here's Another Charge for World Court Indictments

No wonder Feith ranks international judicial process along with terrorism as threats.

"Our strength as a nation-state will continue to be challenged by those who employ a strategy of the weak using international , judicial processes and terrorism," the document states.

Only a criminal regime would offer such a justification for war. They have to be mad.

- M



http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-defense19mar19,1,7779545.story

THE NATION
Policy OKs First Strike to Protect U.S.
Pentagon strategic plan codifies unilateral, preemptive attacks. The doctrine marks a shift from coalitions such as NATO, analysts say.

[salin]

8. Ironic, isn't it...

in story after story about the shift from support for the US invasion (to oust Saddam) to resentment against the US... the reasons? Civil chaos - both structural (eg electricity and water not safe or reliable) and HUGE increases in violent street crime that has nothing to do with the insurgency. That latter point - again, stated again and again as a concern - suggests that the practice in this story might actually increase civil unrest against the US troops and thus might increase the pool of folks fueling the insurgency. Tragically ironic.

[leftchick]

9. this is an Onion piece right?

omg.....it just gets worse daily... :wow:

[0007]

10. Dangerous times for desperate people

The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons: Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Russian novelist, 1821-1881

[lostnfound]

11. I've heard family members of kidnapped tell their stories

Very sad and horrible that people have to fear kidnapping for ransom along with everything else.