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Detention Myths

Multi-National Force-Iraq

Saturday, 30 August 2008
MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
TF 134 PAO
BAGHDAD, IRAQ

Press Release 080828-2
August 28, 2008

Camp Bucca, IRAQ -- An Iraqi newspaper reporter recently revealed that most Iraqis believe anyone who is captured by Coalition Forces and sent to Camp Bucca will never be seen again; they are considered dead.

Every month approximately 12,000 Iraqi visitors travel from all over the country to Camp Bucca, the quiet forward operating base along the Kuwait border near the port city of Um Qasr, Iraq’s southern most city.

In addition to the 12,000 visitors that actually walk through the gates of Camp Bucca, another nearly 500 visits between internees and their families happen every month via video teleconference with the facility in Baghdad, Camp Cropper. The VTC visitation is offered for those families who are unable to make the trip to Um Qasr, but can make it to Baghdad. There are a little over 500 cell phone calls made by internees to their families per month from their interment compounds at Camp Bucca.

With all of this communication occurring in and around Camp Bucca, how does the myth of this place being so evil and foreboding persist? It may be impossible to unravel the mysteries of the Iraqi rumor lines, but below are facts to correct the misinformation, “myth-busting” if you will.

The following are a few of the myths that surround detention operations, along with the correct information:

• MYTH: Detainees are being brainwashed by the Americans.
o FACT: At the two Coalition detention facilities, all of the education, vocational, and Islamic Discussion Programs are led by Iraqi trained and certified teachers, social workers, and clerics. When these sessions occur the only Coalition staff present are the guards, and their presence is for the protection of the staff and not for interaction with the detainees, classes or discussions.

• MYTH: Detainees are held for years without being told why they are in custody.
o FACT: When someone is captured they go through a process of continuous evaluations and reviews to determine whether or not they pose an imperative threat to the people of Iraq, the Government of Iraq, or any security forces. At multiple points in this process, the captured person is advised in detail why they are in custody. This process occurs long before the person leaves the region of Iraq in which they were captured and before they are deemed an official detainee.

• MYTH: All detainees are extremely bad men who do not care about Iraq.
o FACT: Many of the internees are indeed very dangerous and have no loyalty to Iraq or its people. However, a large number of those detained are good Iraqis who made terrible mistakes in judgment or were severely misled by extremists set on destroying the hard earned gains made in this country. A significant number of the internees voluntarily participate in education and vocational classes in order to better themselves for their own brighter future and for their role in the future of Iraq. Many voluntarily join in Islamic Discussion Programs with Iraqi clerics and social workers in order to enhance their understanding of their religion and how their actions either match or contradict its teachings.

• MYTH: Americans are not following Iraqi law in the detention of its citizens.
o FACT: Those in coalition detention have been deemed an imperative threat to the citizens of Iraq, the Government of Iraq, and those security forces that are working to ensure peace and stability. Those captured who have been identified as having broken the law, are turned over to the Government of Iraq and processed according to Iraqi Law. Coalition Forces detain persons based on threat and the Government of Iraq imprisons based on Iraqi law. Basically, Coalition Forces hold detainees and the Government of Iraq holds prisoners and inmates.

• MYTH: The Americans have too many detainees for them to receive proper medical treatment.
o FACT: The team of Coalition doctors, nurses, and medics run an extremely efficient program of care that provides coverage for not only the internees, but also the service members and civilian staff. The doctors divide their workload based on the need in the compounds, and the legion of medics and Iraqi Medical Officers (IMOs) are available in every internment compound around the clock.

Detention operations touch nearly every Iraqi citizen. It is of vital importance that as often as these myths are discovered, every effort is made to answer their charges.

No nation in the history of modern warfare has ever attempted detention operations in the manner in which Coalition Forces have, with the amount of dedicated manpower and resources seen in Iraq.

-30-

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE MNF-I Task Force 134, MAJ Neal Fisher at (914) 360-6275 or Iraqna 07904719347 or neal.fisher@iraq.centcom.mil.

FOR HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS, PLEASE CONTACT THE DIGITAL VIDEO AND IMAGERY DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM BY CALLING (678) 421-6612 OR ACCESS THEM ON-LINE AT WWW.DVIDSHUB.NET.