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Defense Department Report, January 19: Terrorists' Demands

19 January 2006

U.S. will not release detainees in response to kidnapping of American journalist

The United States will not release any women detainees currently held in Iraq in response to recent terrorist demands, a U.S. general says.

At a news briefing from Baghdad January 19, Army Major General Rick Lynch said there is an existing review process to consider detainees’ eligibility for release that has been used since 2004.  The subject arose when a reporter asked about possible plans to release women detainees as demanded by terrorists who are holding Christian Science Monitor correspondent Jill Carroll hostage.

Carroll, who was abducted January 7 in Baghdad, appeared in a video January 17 on the Arabic-language TV network Al-Jazeera. In the video her kidnappers threatened to kill her unless the United States released all female Iraqi prisoners within 72 hours, according to news reports.  The deadline for meeting the demand is January 20.

As a matter of policy, the United States does not negotiate with terrorists or criminals for any reason, nor does it make concessions to those who hold government officials or private citizens hostage, according to the Department of State’s Counterterrorism Office.

Lynch said a total of 26,000 detainees have gone before a Combined Review and Release Board since August 2004 and half of them were released because they were not considered a threat to U.S. or allied interests.

At the moment, Lynch said there are 14,000 detainees in U.S. custody in Iraq and fewer than 10 are women.  The formal review process continues, he said, in the cases of the detained females.

In the course of the regular review process, Lynch said some of the women might be released, but not in “response to a demand by terrorists and criminal agents.”

On January 15, some 500 male detainees were released from custody in Iraq as part of the standard review process, and the military spokesman said there could be additional releases that could include women. There is no indication now, he said, that any female is set for release.

Lynch reiterated that the United States does not negotiate with terrorists (See Response to Terrorism).

The subject of detainees also arose during a January 18 news conference at the Pentagon by Army Secretary Francis Harvey.  He said an updated manual detailing how detainees should be treated while in U.S. custody will be published within weeks.

The Army Field Manual, which prohibits torture of detainees, has undergone a thorough review, the secretary said.  That manual complies with U.S. laws, Defense Department directives and policies and “is consistent with the principle of humane treatment,” Harvey said.

The manual is receiving greater attention since the passage of the 2006 National Defense Authorization Act in December 2005 with an amendment by Senator John McCain that specifically prohibits cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of detainees in U.S. custody. (See related article.)

The manual has evolved from an Army-specific document to one which is followed by all branches of the military service.  For that reason, Harvey said the current review and coordination needed to be broader “because it applies to everybody.”

For more information about U.S. policy, see Detainee Issues.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)