Thursday, May 28, 2009

Are the torture pictures a figment of the imagination? Or are the pictures real?

The UK Daily Telegraph has reported pictures DO EXIST showing raping of Iraqi women and graphic prisoner abuse, by American hands.

Now I am hoping this is not true and that this UK paper is just blowing smoke out of its "you know what", but criminal and horrendous things happen during the time of war.

We will see.

A former U.S. general said graphic images of rape and torture are among the photos of Iraqi prisoner abuse that President Obama's administration does not want released.

Retired Major Gen. Antonio Taguba, who oversaw the U.S. investigation into the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, told Britain's Daily Telegraph in an article published Wednesday that he agreed with Obama's decision not to release the pictures.

"I am not sure what purpose their release would serve other than a legal one and the consequence would be to imperil our troops, the only protectors of our foreign policy, when we most need them," Taguba was quoted by the Daily Telegraph. "The mere description of these pictures is horrendous enough, take my word for it."

Two Obama administration officials didn't immediately respond to e-mail requests for comment Wednesday night.

Took the White House more than 24 hours to respond:
The Pentagon on Thursday denied a British newspaper report that photographs of Iraqi prisoner abuse, whose release U.S. President Barack Obama wants to block, include images of apparent rape and sexual abuse.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the Daily Telegraph newspaper had shown "an inability to get the facts right".

"That news organization has completely mischaracterized the images," Whitman told reporters. "None of the photos in question depict the images that are described in that article."

Thursday's Telegraph quoted retired U.S. Army Major General Antonio Taguba, who conducted a 2004 investigation into abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, as saying the pictures showed "torture, abuse, rape and every indecency."

The newspaper said at least one picture showed an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee.

Now there is a reason for not releasing these "suspect photos" and I understand why Obama changed his mind on it. If these photos exist and this happened, it kills us overseas further as Obama is attempting to make inroads after the Bush Administration destroyed our international standing.

Again, things happen during war. For anyone to believe this possibly could not happen, take your rose colored glasses off. These things do happen and don't think we, the United States of America is above it all. After all, we waterboard, we did torture. This possiblity is not outside of the relm.

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