Veterans

unhappycamper

(60,364 posts) Mon Apr 8, 2013, 10:08 AM Apr 2013

Camp Nama: British personnel reveal horrors of secret US base in Baghdad

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/01/camp-nama-iraq-human-rights-abuses?INTCMP=SRCH

Detainees were taken to Camp Nama, a secret US detention centre at Baghdad international airport.

Camp Nama: British personnel reveal horrors of secret US base in Baghdad
Ian Cobain
guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 April 2013 13.04 EDT

British soldiers and airmen who helped to operate a secretive US detention facility in Baghdad that was at the centre of some of the most serious human rights abuses to occur in Iraq after the invasion have, for the first time, spoken about abuses they witnessed there.

Personnel from two RAF squadrons and one Army Air Corps squadron were given guard and transport duties at the secret prison, the Guardian has established.

And many of the detainees were brought to the facility by snatch squads formed from Special Air Service and Special Boat Service squadrons.

Codenamed Task Force 121, the joint US-UK special forces unit was at first deployed to detain individuals thought to have information about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. Once it was realised that Saddam's regime had long since abandoned its WMD programme, TF 121 was re-tasked with tracking down people who might know where the deposed dictator and his loyalists might be, and then with catching al-Qaida leaders who sprang up in the country after the regime collapsed.

5 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Camp Nama: British personnel reveal horrors of secret US base in Baghdad (Original Post) unhappycamper Apr 2013 OP

How could this be? This following reported event occurred after Bush and Cheney left office. AnotherMcIntosh Apr 2013 #1

The statement about the "review of records" happened in Feb 2009. MADem Apr 2013 #3

When there is a change in the government, who's faster in sweeping war crimes under the rug? AnotherMcIntosh Apr 2013 #4

Well, I don't think anyone "wins." Everyone loses. MADem Apr 2013 #5

Hypocritical bastards! MADem Apr 2013 #2

AnotherMcIntosh

(11,064 posts)

1. How could this be? This following reported event occurred after Bush and Cheney left office.

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Mon Apr 8, 2013, 10:22 AM

Apr 2013

"When Griffin went public, making clear that British troops were handing over to the US military large numbers of prisoners who faced torture, the MoD came under pressure to explain itself. In February 2009 the then defence secretary, John Hutton, told the Commons that "review of records of detention resulting from security operations carried out by UK armed forces" had disclosed that two men who had been handed over had since been moved to Afghanistan. His statement made no mention of the joint task force, of H1, or of Camp Nama or Balad or how British airmen and soldiers were helping to operate the secret prisons."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/01/camp-nama-iraq-human-rights-abuses?INTCMP=SRCH

MADem

(135,425 posts)

3. The statement about the "review of records" happened in Feb 2009.

Reply to AnotherMcIntosh (Reply #1)

Mon Apr 8, 2013, 10:38 AM

Apr 2013

That is when "Hutton told the Commons." It's not when the events were occurring.

He's not saying that anyone was handed over in 2009. The paragraph is written in the past tense--"HAD disclosed....HAD been handed over...HAD since been moved...were helping..." etc.

That's how that can be.

AnotherMcIntosh

(11,064 posts)

4. When there is a change in the government, who's faster in sweeping war crimes under the rug?

Reply to MADem (Reply #3)

Mon Apr 8, 2013, 11:19 AM

Apr 2013

Our politicians or the British ones?

I think that we win on that one.

MADem

(135,425 posts)

5. Well, I don't think anyone "wins." Everyone loses.

Reply to AnotherMcIntosh (Reply #4)

Mon Apr 8, 2013, 11:24 AM

Apr 2013

My point, though, is this information was dropped, by a British former military individual who was demobbed from active service, in 2009.

2009 is the year Obama took the oath of office.

The British politician making the comments was making them when Obama had held the presidency for LESS THAN A MONTH.

To attempt to "tie" these events to Obama is just not on.

MADem

(135,425 posts)

2. Hypocritical bastards!

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Mon Apr 8, 2013, 10:31 AM

Apr 2013

Love the Blame the USA headline!!! ....horrors of secret US base in Baghdad ...

But then, ya get down in the weeds, and we see

British soldiers and airmen who helped to operate....Personnel from two RAF squadrons and one Army Air Corps squadron were given guard and transport duties at the secret prison.....Codenamed Task Force 121, the joint US-UK special forces unit .....detainees were brought to the facility by snatch squads formed from Special Air Service and Special Boat Service squadrons.....British involvement in the running of such a notorious detention facility....British were always junior partners in TF 121....The US and UK forces worked together so closely that they began to wear items of each others' uniforms....SAS officers were permitted to attend interrogations at the rear of the JOC. Human Rights Watch reports that one SAS officer took part in the beating......

Oh no, the UK had NOTHING to do with this AWFUL AMERICAN MISADVENTURE! We only worked there and helped fund it.

Bullshit! This is disgraceful conduct, this is a reprehensible situation, but the whole "Mom, he MADE me do it" attitude shopped by this article is pure nonsense. If you want to snuggle in a "special relationship" you need to take your share of responsibility for the damn relationship.

Reply to this discussion