U.S.- Run Iraqi Prisons Fuel al Qaeda

By Jeralyn, Section War on Terror
Posted on Sun May 23, 2010 at 02:58:19 PM EST
Tags: Iraqi prisons (all tags)

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The Guardian reports that an increased number detainees released from prisons like Camp Bucca and Camp Cropper in Iraq are re-joining al Qaeda..

Iraqi security officials blame the U.S.-run prisons, saying they have caused a revitalised Sunni insurgency.

Major General Ahmed Obeidi al-Saedi, who leads the sixth division of the Iraqi army in south and west Baghdad, claims as many as 80% of detainees have either aligned, or realigned with militant groups, mostly to al-Qaida in Iraq, or its affiliates. He said 86 former inmates of the US prisons, known as Camp Cropper and Camp Bucca, have been rearrested since 10 March.

...."We ask them, did they finish their time in prison rehabilitated psychologically and they say 'no, it was the perfect environment to reorganise al-Qaida'."

[More...]

The prisons are breeding grounds.

Munaf Abdul-Rahim al-Rawi, has told his jailers that much of the key planning behind the carnage was done in prison. "He said 'we appointed our leaders inside Bucca'," said Saedi. "It was a very useful time for them.

"The head of finance for al-Qaida, Ali Naema al-Salmoon, was also in there with him. We caught him two weeks ago and he had been funding the bombings ever since he was released in 2009."

At one time, 25,000 detainees were held at the prisons. The U.S. has been trying to turn their operation over to Iraq.

The U.S. blames Iraqi officials for the problems.

An adviser to Major General Nelson Cannon, deputy commander of the US detention programme said all US detainees were first handed over to Iraqi authorities before being freed. "All of them are then being released by the Iraqi government on the strength of the cases against them," he said.

Either way, there's more than enough blame to go around. When you treat people like caged animals, how do you expect them to behave when they get out?

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U.S.- Run Iraqi Prisons Fuel al Qaeda | 18 comments (18 topical)

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No one could have predicted (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by scribe on Sun May 23, 2010 at 03:41:04 PM EST

this happening.

Of course, my dad did, back when he was in the
Army during the occupation of Germany. One of his subordinates didn't like being called up short on his abusive treatment of Germans and liked it less when my dad told him: "If you kick a dog often enough, one day it'll turn around and bite you."

That was 60 years ago. People haven't changed in the intervening years.

And when those DFH bloggers made a stink about these hellholes? No one takes them seriously, even when they're right time and again.

Different country. But did you see this (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by oculus on Sun May 23, 2010 at 04:03:16 PM EST

front page photo of Haitian prison on front page of today's NYT? link


per That Frontline program (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by jondee on Sun May 23, 2010 at 04:05:44 PM EST

the other night: if American soldiers, suffering from PTSD and drugged up and sent back into action are coming back state-side and becoming pathologically "anti-social" in their own country, how do people think the hearts and minds of abused Al Queda types are going to see the light and turn to rational, diplomatic attitudes toward this country?


If you are currently part of Al Qaeda (none / 0) (#12)
by Militarytracy on Mon May 24, 2010 at 09:50:23 AM EST

you aren't interested in seeing the light on anything.....ever.


: A lot of people are stuck.. (none / 0) (#18)
by jondee on Mon May 24, 2010 at 07:00:55 PM EST

and have made up their minds..until they're driven out of them.

Then Again, (none / 0) (#2)
by The Maven on Sun May 23, 2010 at 04:03:02 PM EST

we here in the US have had such great success with our domestic prison system, where we've done such a fine job of rehabilitating inmates, returning them as well-integrated members of society, and we've totally disrupted the gangs and organized crime groups such that there are no hardened recidivists . . .

Oh, wait, never mind.


Can't the same be said (none / 0) (#5)
by BackFromOhio on Sun May 23, 2010 at 05:08:40 PM EST

for Guantanamo?

"rehabilitation"? (none / 0) (#6)
by diogenes on Sun May 23, 2010 at 05:11:42 PM EST

Actually, what is happening is that the idea of rehabilitation of Jihadists is an illusion and that the mistake of the prisons in Iraq was that they released people TOO SOON. If these guys were currently in Gitmo then they wouldn't be recidivists today.
As was said in the Godfather of Tessio and others, you can forgive them but they don't forgive themselves.

: That is the thing ... (none / 0) (#7)
by nyrias on Sun May 23, 2010 at 05:34:32 PM EST

Rehabilitation should never been the goal. The goal should be locked up the dangerous one and don't unleash them on society.

The Iraq War was a big mistake period (none / 0) (#8)
by Saul on Sun May 23, 2010 at 07:50:40 PM EST

Probably will go down as the biggest mistake in U.S. history.

And Bush will go down as the worst president in American History.

: IMO Bush has a long way to go (none / 0) (#9)
by observed on Mon May 24, 2010 at 06:03:49 AM EST

to be considered worse than Reagan.
Bush is like the mini-me to Reagan's Dr. Evil.

Of course not (none / 0) (#10)
by jimakaPPJ on Mon May 24, 2010 at 06:54:10 AM EST

.."We ask them, did they finish their time in prison rehabilitated psychologically and they say 'no, it was the perfect environment to reorganise al-Qaida'."

What do you think these people will do?

They aren't 7-11 robbers or drug dealers. I am shocked that only 80% go back.

Jeez... (none / 0) (#11)
by kdog on Mon May 24, 2010 at 08:51:23 AM EST

Talk about ungrateful...shock and awe, invade and occupy, kill untold numbers of people, lock up tens of thousands in conditions that make our domestic cages look like a hotel...and when they get outta the cage they join the other team? The nerve!

Um (none / 0) (#13)
by jbindc on Mon May 24, 2010 at 01:27:01 PM EST

These guys didn't "join the other team " when they got out - they already belonged to that team.


I don't know that... (none / 0) (#14)
by kdog on Mon May 24, 2010 at 01:30:26 PM EST

for all I know they were regular everyday Iraqis before we invaded their country for no good reason.


From Jeralyn's post (none / 0) (#15)
by jbindc on Mon May 24, 2010 at 04:26:01 PM EST

The Guardian reports that an increased number detainees released from prisons like Camp Bucca and Camp Cropper in Iraq are re-joining al Qaeda.

"Rejoining" being the operative word.

Just like saying it's the fault of the government when gang bangers get out of prison and surprise! They rejoin the Latin Kings, the Crips, or some other gang.


Wasn't AQ in Iraq... (none / 0) (#16)
by kdog on Mon May 24, 2010 at 04:46:34 PM EST

which is a different entity than Obama's AQ, a post-invasion phenomenon? I believe it was jb...


: Yes (none / 0) (#17)
by squeaky on Mon May 24, 2010 at 05:02:53 PM EST

AQI led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi:

Zarqawi had been a rival of Bin Laden's in Afghanistan and had earlier declined to share resources with al-Qaeda. But in recent months al-Zarqawi changed the name of his group from Monotheism and Holy war to Mesopotamian al-Qaeda, and pledged fealty to Bin Laden.
Not well liked in Iraq, and no real roots in the community. But al-qaeda, was a term used by BushCo to represent all Muslims who were hostile to the US and US interests.
It is the sort of thing that ignorant people tend to repeat, along the lines of they all look the same to me.