Videotape Shows Saddam's Men Torturing Iraqis

[daniel1113]

http://www.foxnews.com.edgesuite.net/story/0,2933,101689,00.html

WASHINGTON ? A grisly videotape showing acts of torture carried out by Iraqi Republican Guard and Saddam Fedayeen militiamen has been declassified and obtained by Fox News.

After the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in April, an Iraqi in Baghdad gave the tape to the U.S. Army's 308th Civil Affairs Brigade, V Corps. He told the soldiers he had more videos and was directly involved in their taping, having been ordered to do so by the Republican Guard.

The 23-minute long tape contains several scenes of Saddam Fedayeen (search) fighters carrying out corporal punishment and at least one execution, probably of a Saddam Fedayeen member.

Sources told Fox News that the man who handed over the current tape is cooperating with U.S. troops and will provide more tapes.

The punishments include fingers being chopped or shot off, tips of tongues being cut off, wrists being broken by sharp blows from a wooden rod, lashes by whip or cane, a bound man being tossed off a building, a beheading involving a sword and a knife and a man being humiliated by riding a donkey backwards.

Several scenes show charges being read out, ranging from disobeying an order to desertion, before punishments are inflicted.

"When you have people filming in front of crowds cheering and clapping -- you have people cutting off people's tongues and heads and chopping off their fingers and hands throwing them off three-story buildings -- you learn something about a group of people and how they lived their lives and treated their people and we are so fortunate that they are gone and those 23 million people are liberated," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters during a Pentagon briefing Thursday.

The filming locations appear to be public squares and military installations. In attendance are dozens of black-clad Fedayeen, uniformed Republican Guard (search) members, civilians and children.

The U.S. military thinks the tape was most likely recorded at a military installation near Baghdad sometime between 1998 and the fall of the regime, but could have been made as early as 1995.

Tom Malinowski, a director of Human Rights Watch (search), a New York-based advocacy group, said the tape provided a clear picture of how the former government instilled fear in the Iraqi people.

"It reminds us that Saddam's regime took sadistic pleasure in documenting the horrors it perpetrated on the Iraqi people," Malinowski said. "In fact, they wanted people to know this, because the purpose of this treatment was to terrorize the population so no one would even think of opposing Saddam."

The tape quality is poor; there is no audio in some parts and very faint sound in others.

Military intelligence sources told Fox News they believed the tape was authentic, adding that it was by far the most graphic example of the fallen regime's torture practices.

Similar tapes have been found in Iraqi prisons, military facilities and even the private video collections of Uday and Qusay, Saddam's sons, who were killed by U.S. forces in a dramatic July shootout. Copies of several tapes have become brisk sellers in Baghdad marketplaces.

Pentagon officials have been pushing to get the recovered tapes declassified, a process now starting to happen. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz has requested they be released to the public.

Speaking to local television stations around the United States Wednesday, Wolfowitz suggested former regime members had become the "dead-enders" attacking U.S. and coalition troops and cooperating Iraqis since the end of major combat.

"Thousands of vicious sadists who are left over from the old regime ... think that if they terrorize Iraqis and scare away Americans, that they can bring back Saddam Hussein and his evil dictatorship," Wolfowitz said. "Small numbers of a few thousand can make a great deal of trouble until they're cleaned up."

The Saddam Fedayeen militia ? the name translates as "Saddam's men of sacrifice" ? was created by Uday in 1995 but later turned over to Qusay.

The Fedayeen had a total strength reportedly between 18,000 and 40,000 troops, according to GlobalSecurity.org, and was composed of young soldiers recruited from regions loyal to Saddam.

It reported directly to the Presidential Palace, rather than through the army command, was responsible for patrol and anti-smuggling duties and operated completely above and outside political and legal structures.

Though at times improperly termed an "elite" unit, the Fedayeen was a politically reliable force that could be counted on to support Saddam against domestic opponents, according to GlobalSecurity.org.

It started out as a rag-tag force of some 10,000-15,000 "bullies and country bumpkins" but later helped protect Saddam and Uday and carried out much of the regime's dirty work. A special "death squadron" was created to carry out secret executions.

Fox News' Bret Baier and Ian McCaleb contributed to this report.

 

[chess9]

Well, let's be sure to gather the family around the t.v. and watch the entire series! Or, maybe it's just a mini-series?

Unfortunately, as I tuned in Lou Dobbs last night I caught part of the tape and could not believe Lou had the bad taste to air that crap. I emailed him and told him as much. Why carry water for the Bush administration and then say "We got it from an independent source. Not the Pentagon." Sure you did, and I have some swamp land in Florida for you.

Good grief, standards have sunk lower than Red on a Sunday morning after.

-Robert

 

[daniel1113]

At least Fox News isn't purposely censoring the news, unlike some other channels...

:cough: CNN :cough:

 

[chess9]

Lou Dobb IS on CNN. Good grief....

Censoring the news? Fox? No way? They'd have to be reporting the news in the first place. Let me when that happens at least once.

Anway, it's the Fox Cartoon Channel, not Fox News. Just ask Roger Ales, the Head Clown.
-Robert

 

[bigdog1218]

Showing these videos is for pure shock value and is not news worthy. Do you seriously think this stuff only happens in Iraq? This is not news, everyone nows this happens, showing it is just Fox's way of trying to justify the war.

 

[tnitsuj]

Why don't we show the video of Daniel Pearl getting his throat cut, or of the phillipine rebels killing hostages, or the charred and broken bodies of American soldiers?

That would probably show even better brutality and death?

Fox is going for shock and propaganda value.

 

[rchiu]

What about showing video tapes of what is going on in Guantanamo bay where US keep "enemy combatants"?

 

[tnitsuj]

Originally posted by: rchiu
What about showing video tapes of what is going on in Guantanamo bay where US keep "enemy combatants"?

I don't think we are torturing anyone, and it is against the Geneva convention to display prisoners of war as curiosities for the media. Besides, the ICRC has access to that camp.

 

[chess9]

Tnitsuj:

Yes, and why doesn't Fox show pics of U.S. soldiers getting killed in action? I think they need to talk to the Pentagon about getting some really gruesome footage of some of our boys getting slaughtered...which is what is happening needlessly.

This is an all-time low for Fox and CNN and I think everyone should tell them as much by email.

-Robert

 

[DealMonkey]

When reason numero uno doesn't pan out 'cause David Kay can't find any WMDs, fall back on reason numero dos: Saddam was bad, bad people. He was a mastermind of evil and torture. Rape rooms, people! Rape rooms!

Especially hypocritical since a number of human rights orgs have criticized U.S. forces for civilian deaths in Baghdad due to excessive force. These civilian deaths go completely uninvestigated.

Iraq: Civilian Deaths Need U.S. Investigation

Christ, even Israel investigates cases of excessive force in the occupied territories.

 

[chess9]

Tnitsuj:

How do you know they aren't torturing anyone? And what is torture? The whole idea is a can of worms. I have no doubt Ashcroft and Rummy take great glee in the prisoners' daily "care".

-Robert

 

[SuperTool]

It's a real tearjerker. Of course, Saudis are doing same things, beheading people, chopping off their arms, but I don't see Rumsfeld pontificating on Saudi abuses. Or where was Rumsfeld's concern when Saddam was killing kurds, communists, shiites before he invaded Kuwait? I guess it's only a problem when our oil supply is negatively effected.

 

[abaez]

I wonder if fox news would play the video of our good ally uzbekistan boiling people if one was ever found....

 

[rockyct]

Once again, Bush is trying to remind us that Saddam was in fact "evil" and hence deserved to be removed from power. Of course, if we removed every "evil' person in power, I have a feeling our forces would just stretched thin just a tad more. I still can't believe someone would actually want to watch the video though.

 

[GrGr]

So Bremer today told us that the US will speed up the retraining of the soldiers and police of Iraq. Of course those soldiers and policemen used to be Saddam's soldiers and policemen. Essentially all that will happen is that Saddam's thugs will be given new uniforms and a pat on the back by the Bushies. Some liberation

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Can we watch the machete murders of the 800,000 or so that died in Africa? That ought to be just as entertaining.

I assume you posted this as justification for the war. Other horrors abound in the world, and not to take away from anyones suffering, but nothing "special" happened in this regard that caused the war. The war happened, then the administration scrambled to find another reason for it once it's primary alledged motivation was found to be BS. Makes good press.

 

[CaptnKirk]

This photo did more for turning the American Public against the Viet Nam war
than any other action, or group of protesters ever did.

General Nguyen Ngoc Loan - tag, you're it

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
Can we watch the machete murders of the 800,000 or so that died in Africa? That ought to be just as entertaining.

I assume you posted this as justification for the war. Other horrors abound in the world, and not to take away from anyones suffering, but nothing "special" happened in this regard that caused the war. The war happened, then the administration scrambled to find another reason for it once it's primary alledged motivation was found to be BS. Makes good press.

I guess we shouldn't help anyone out in the world. After all, nobody's difficult situation is really all that "special."

 

[Gaard]

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
Can we watch the machete murders of the 800,000 or so that died in Africa? That ought to be just as entertaining.

I assume you posted this as justification for the war. Other horrors abound in the world, and not to take away from anyones suffering, but nothing "special" happened in this regard that caused the war. The war happened, then the administration scrambled to find another reason for it once it's primary alledged motivation was found to be BS. Makes good press.

I guess we shouldn't help anyone out in the world. After all, nobody's difficult situation is really all that "special."

I think the point, Dan, is that we didn't go to war to help them out. Whatever you think was the driving force behind this war was....whether it be WMD, oil, imminent threat, resolutions, etc....the situation in Iraq alone wasn't enough for us to act.

 

[Ferocious]

Nothing the Saudis don't do.

The Saudis.....our allies.

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: Gaard

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
Can we watch the machete murders of the 800,000 or so that died in Africa? That ought to be just as entertaining.

I assume you posted this as justification for the war. Other horrors abound in the world, and not to take away from anyones suffering, but nothing "special" happened in this regard that caused the war. The war happened, then the administration scrambled to find another reason for it once it's primary alledged motivation was found to be BS. Makes good press.

I guess we shouldn't help anyone out in the world. After all, nobody's difficult situation is really all that "special."

I think the point, Dan, is that we didn't go to war to help them out. Whatever you think was the driving force behind this war was....whether it be WMD, oil, imminent threat, resolutions, etc....the situation in Iraq alone wasn't enough for us to act.

I think the point, Gaard, is that we didn't just go to war to help them out. We went to war for many reasons... whether it be WMD, oil, imminent threat, resolutions, etc... the situation in Iraq alone was enough for us to act. We have to start somewhere, and Iraq fit the bill, just like many other countries. However, we cannot attack them all, nor should we. Hopefully Iraq will be a good start to solving the problem...

 

[Gaard]

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: Gaard

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
Can we watch the machete murders of the 800,000 or so that died in Africa? That ought to be just as entertaining.

I assume you posted this as justification for the war. Other horrors abound in the world, and not to take away from anyones suffering, but nothing "special" happened in this regard that caused the war. The war happened, then the administration scrambled to find another reason for it once it's primary alledged motivation was found to be BS. Makes good press.

I guess we shouldn't help anyone out in the world. After all, nobody's difficult situation is really all that "special."

I think the point, Dan, is that we didn't go to war to help them out. Whatever you think was the driving force behind this war was....whether it be WMD, oil, imminent threat, resolutions, etc....the situation in Iraq alone wasn't enough for us to act.

I think the point, Gaard, is that we didn't just go to war to help them out. We went to war for many reasons... whether it be WMD, oil, imminent threat, resolutions, etc... the situation in Iraq alone was enough for us to act. We have to start somewhere, and Iraq fit the bill, just like many other countries. However, we cannot attack them all, nor should we. Hopefully Iraq will be a good start to solving the problem...

No Dan, the plight of the Iraqis was not enough for us to act. Thus, saying "Look! Saddam was an evil person! That's reason enough for this war!" is assinine. Everybody here...let me repeat that...Everybody here knows SH was an evil dictator. That's not questioned. IYO, going to war because of the plight of the Iraqis justifies this war. Unfortunately, our leaders disagree with you. They've shown this with their words and with their actions (or lack of action, I should say). Now, I'm not saying that I think we should go to war to free oppressed people, I'm saying that people who justify this war on the basis that we freed the Iraqis are being just a tad narrow, IMO.

IIRC, you yourself said that all Iraq had to do was give the inspectors free access to sites and war could've been avoided. Oh wait! You took that back when it was pointed out to you that they were, and changed your tune to say that all Iraq had to do was comply with 1441 and war would've been avoided. Now you're saying that also is incorrect? That the plight of the Iraqis was reason enough for this war? Will you ever find an opinion and stick to it?

 

[hagbard]

I'd rather see what the US is doing to those people in Cuba.

 

[VioletAura]

Originally posted by: hagbard
I'd rather see what the US is doing to those people in Cuba.

Afghan detainees get beaten to death.

Military coroners have determined that the deaths of two detainees while in U.S. custody in Afghanistan were homicides, CNN has confirmed.

Source

 

[hagbard]

To the Iraqis, its "meet the new boss, same as the old boss" except this time, the boss is an invader.