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Leaked Iraq war files portray weak, divided nation
Source: Agencies |
October 24, 2010, Sunday
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Online Edition
Online Edition
THE enormous cache of secret war logs disclosed by the WikiLeaks website paints a picture of an Iraq burdened by persistent sectarian tension and meddling neighbors, suggesting that the country could drift into chaos once US forces leave.
The reports, covering early 2004 to January 1, 2010, help explain why Iraq's struggle to create a unified, independent state continues, despite a dramatic reduction in violence. They appear to support arguments by some experts that the US should keep thousands of troops there beyond their scheduled departure in 2011, to buy more time for Iraq to become stable.
The reports demonstrate the weakness of Iraq's civic institutions, court system and military, even before sectarian violence exploded in 2006-2007.
In the fall of 2005, the US military discovered evidence of plots to assassinate various officials, including an Iraqi Army colonel. In September, one of the war logs said, a group of judges was abducted in Balad, beaten and forced into the trunk of a car.
Another example: On June 6, 2006, US forces reported discovering large amounts of blood on the floor, a rubber hose and electric wires rigged to a metal door in a holding cell in an Iraqi police station in Husaybah, in western Iraq.
The report called the discoveries "evidence of unchecked torture" and "clear indications" of human rights violations.
The US report said that for a time, US military advisers slept in the police station to make sure prisoners were not abused, checked arrest logs and counseled Iraqi police, warning them against these practices.
But even a program of training and counseling didn't put an end to the abuses. According to a report dated Feb. 16, 2009, US forces reported the mistreatment of 33 detainees in custody at the same police station.
The leaked war logs reflect significant progress as well. There has been a dramatic improvement in security since the height of the violence in 2006-07, due to a weakened threat from al-Qaida and an Iraqi population weary of the sectarian bloodletting that once threatened to plunge the country into civil war.
The reports, covering early 2004 to January 1, 2010, help explain why Iraq's struggle to create a unified, independent state continues, despite a dramatic reduction in violence. They appear to support arguments by some experts that the US should keep thousands of troops there beyond their scheduled departure in 2011, to buy more time for Iraq to become stable.
The reports demonstrate the weakness of Iraq's civic institutions, court system and military, even before sectarian violence exploded in 2006-2007.
In the fall of 2005, the US military discovered evidence of plots to assassinate various officials, including an Iraqi Army colonel. In September, one of the war logs said, a group of judges was abducted in Balad, beaten and forced into the trunk of a car.
Another example: On June 6, 2006, US forces reported discovering large amounts of blood on the floor, a rubber hose and electric wires rigged to a metal door in a holding cell in an Iraqi police station in Husaybah, in western Iraq.
The report called the discoveries "evidence of unchecked torture" and "clear indications" of human rights violations.
The US report said that for a time, US military advisers slept in the police station to make sure prisoners were not abused, checked arrest logs and counseled Iraqi police, warning them against these practices.
But even a program of training and counseling didn't put an end to the abuses. According to a report dated Feb. 16, 2009, US forces reported the mistreatment of 33 detainees in custody at the same police station.
The leaked war logs reflect significant progress as well. There has been a dramatic improvement in security since the height of the violence in 2006-07, due to a weakened threat from al-Qaida and an Iraqi population weary of the sectarian bloodletting that once threatened to plunge the country into civil war.
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