Central Command Leaders Brief Senate on Abu Ghraib
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 19, 2004 – While the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal is disturbing to
Middle East leaders, of more concern to those leaders is whether the United
States will lose patience with the process and leave Iraq before a stable
government is in place, Army Gen. John Abizaid, commander, U.S. Central
Command, said here today.
Abizaid, Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, commander of Multinational Force Iraq,
Army Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, deputy commander for detainee operations and
Army Col. Marc Warren, staff judge advocate, testified before the Senate Armed
Services Committee.
Both Abizaid and Sanchez told the senators they accept responsibility for the
failures under their commands.
Abizaid said one of his deepest beliefs is that U.S. military officers, when in
charge, must be in charge. "This is as true for the lowest second lieutenant in
the chain of command as it is for me," he said. "Every officer is responsible
for what his or her unit does or fails to do. I accept that responsibility for
the United States Central Command."
Abizaid told the senators the command will follow the trail of evidence
wherever it leads. He said Central Command will continue to correct systemic
problems as they arise, and will hold people accountable.
Seven soldiers have been charged under the scandal. One, Army Spc. Jeremy
Sivits, was sentenced to up to a year in prison by a special court-martial in
Baghdad today. Sivits also was reduced to E-1 and will receive a bad-conduct
discharge. The soldier apologized to the Iraqi people for his part in the
scandal. Sivits pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to maltreat
detainees, one count of dereliction of duty and two counts of maltreatment of
detainees.
Three other soldiers – Sgt. Javal Davis, Staff Sgt. Ivan Frederick and Spc.
Charles Graner -- were arraigned. The judge said pre-trial hearings will begin
June 21.
Abizaid said he has spoken with regional leaders about the Abu Ghraib scandal,
the damage the scandal has caused to U.S. credibility in the region, and the
overall situation in Iraq. "They, like us, and the many Iraqis who talked to me
before I last left Iraq, were shocked, disgusted and disappointed by the images
of abuse," Abizaid said. "Yet all of them expressed confidence that our system
could and would produce answers and hold people accountable."
As concerned as they are about the prison, "they are more concerned about our
willingness to stay the course in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "They are
more worried that we'll lose our patience for the difficult tasks of
stabilizing those areas and we'll walk away, and come home and bring up the
drawbridges and defend Fortress America." Abizaid said he told the leaders the
United States is tough, cannot be defeated militarily and will stay the course.
Abizaid said the United States cannot allow the enemy to come back into power
in either Iraq or Afghanistan. He said the enemy viewpoint is best summed up by
the way the Taliban ran Afghanistan. "If they can outlast us in Afghanistan and
undermine the legitimate government there, they will once again fill up the
seats at the soccer stadiums and force people to watch executions," he said.
"In Iraq, if the culture of intimidation practiced by our enemy is allowed to
win, the mass graves will fill again.
"Our enemies kill without remorse," he continued, "they challenge our will
through the careful manipulation of propaganda and information, they seek safe
havens in order to develop weapons of mass destruction that they will use
against us when they are ready."
Abizaid said the targets will not only be those in Kabul and Baghdad, but
places like Madrid and London and New York. "Unlike us, they will not hold
themselves accountable for their outrages," he said.
But despite the images of the prison abuse and burning Humvees on the
television screens of the world, "we are winning the battle against extremism,"
the general said. The troops are confident, are winning the tactical battle,
and continue to work with allies to build viable Iraqi and Afghan security
forces, he added.
Abizaid assessed the areas where breakdowns occurred with regard to Abu Ghraib.
He said breakdowns occurred in procedures, in access, in standards of
interrogation, and in confusion between the roles of military intelligence
personnel and military police.
Sanchez told the senators he is dedicated to ensuring nothing like the Abu
Ghraib abuse happens again. "We have already initiated courts-martial in seven
cases, and there may very well be more prosecutions," he said. Army Criminal
Investigation Command investigators continue their investigations, and the
evidence may lead to more courts martial, he said.
Sanchez detailed to the senators his actions upon learning of the allegations
of abuse. "There is no doubt that the law of war, including the Geneva
Conventions, apply to our operations in Iraq," Sanchez said. "This includes
interrogations."
The general said he acted as soon as he learned of the abuses. "I ensured that
a criminal investigation had been initiated and requested my superior appoint
an investigating officer to conduct a separate administrative investigation …
into this matter," he said.
Within days of receiving the initial report, Sanchez said, he suspended key
members of the chain of command of the unit responsible for detainee security
at Abu Ghraib.
Biographies:
Gen. John Abizaid
Lt. Gen. Ricardo
S. Sanchez
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