Military

DATE=7-22-04

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=CONGRESS - PRISONER ABUSE (L-O)

NUMBER=2-317698

BYLINE=DEBORAH TATE

DATELINE=CAPITOL HILL

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

HEADLINE: U.S. Military Reveals More Prisoner Abuse by Troops

INTRO: The U.S. Army's inspector general has found a total of 94 cases of confirmed or alleged abuse of prisoners by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, a higher number than previous estimates by the Defense Department. The inspector general testified before a Senate panel Thursday, as correspondent Deborah Tate reports.

TEXT: The Army's Inspector General, Lieutenant General Paul Mikolashek (MIK-lo-SHEK) told the Senate Armed Services Committee he found no evidence that there were systemic problems that contributed to the prisoner abuse.

Instead, he said much of the abuse was a result of officers not following proper interrogation policies.

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"We found that training and oversight of these policies were inconsistent, but also could find no confirmed instance involving the application of an approved approach technique that led to abuse."

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Acting Secretary of the Army, Les Brownlee, responded to the inspector general's findings:

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"These incidents are not representative of army policy, doctrine, or soldier training. These actions, while regrettable, are aberrations compared to the actions of hundreds of thousands of our soldiers who have served and continue to serve around the world with distinction and honor."

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Seven soldiers are facing charges in connection with the prisoner abuse scandal.

The inspector general's report was ordered by top military officials in February, after allegations surfaced about abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad.

The report also notes that an International Committee of the Red Cross report in February alleged that military intelligence officials used physical or psychological coercion to force confessions or cooperation.

But Inspector General Mikolashek said his investigation did not pursue the Red Cross allegations.

The comments drew an angry response from Senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat:

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"You have not looked at the responsiveness of the chain of command evident in explicit reports of abuse. It seems to me this is just reinforcing the conclusion that there are just five or six aberrant soldiers. I do not think you have done the job that you have to do."

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Senator Jeff Sessions, an Alabama Republican, expressed concerned the prisoner abuse scandal would prompt military officials to reassess effective legal interrogation tools.

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"We want our soldiers right up to the limit of what they can legally do to obtain good intelligence."

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The inspector general report also found that between October 2001 and June of this year, the United States had held more than 50-thousand prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq. (SIGNED)

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