'Helping hand' seen behind leaks

[unhappycamper]

'Helping hand' seen behind leaks
By RFE/RL
Oct 26, 2010

A war of words continues over the conduct of Iraqi and United States military forces in Iraq after the WikiLeaks website released what it says are nearly 400,000 classified US files on the Iraq war.

Iraqi officials like Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani have been quick to state their country's determination to investigate claims in the WikiLeaks files that Iraqi police and military forces were responsible for prisoner abuse, torture and murder between 2004 and 2009.

"Human-rights violations are unacceptable and against the law, according to the nature of the new political system in the country and according to the institutions of the state," Bolani said. "The Interior Ministry is following up on the cases of violations. Investigation committees are continuously working on it, and nobody is above the law.

~snip~

The US military has claimed it does not keep detailed records of civilian casualties in Iraq. But the WikiLeaks files - mainly written by low-ranking US military officers in the field - describe numerous cases of roadside bombings, rape and execution-style killings of prisoners by Iraqi police, military and sectarian fighters.

The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has responded angrily to the charges related to prisoner abuse and summary detention by Iraqi police. Speaking to RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq in Baghdad, Maliki's adviser Ali al-Musawi defended his country's legal system and dismissed the notion that any illegal arrests had been made.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

1. One poor private will be doing pushups forever ...

...

David Service, a private based at Camp Warrior in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, told Reuters he believed the information should have been kept confidential.

"...," Service said. "But when you get into it, the Iraqis have ... you know, it's a violent culture..."

When we want your opinion, Private, we will give it to you. Now give me a thousand pushups.

:hi: