Sunday, March 23, 2003
By Liza Porteus
Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera showed footage Sunday of what it said were five U.S. prisoners, including one woman.
The station showed footage of the alleged soldiers being questioned by their captors and being asked things such as where they were from and their names. The tape that was broadcast was reportedly provided by Iraqi television and was edited.
"This is the first we've seen of it -- it looks like Iraqi TV propaganda," said a U.S. Defense Department spokesperson. "What they're doing is wrong -- we're trying to get to the bottom of what we're seeing. We're investigating the tape now."
Defense officials said they were analyzing the video. They also said there is nothing in the tape that would lead them to believe the prisoners were not really U.S. troops.
Three prisoners -- including the woman -- said they were from Texas, another was from New Jersey and another from Kansas. At least two of them identified themselves as being part of a maintenance unit.
"I come to shoot only if I am shot at ? I wouldn't kill anybody ? they don't bother me, I don't bother them," said the Kansas man. "I was told to come here," he said when asked why he came to Iraq.
One Texas man said: "I follow orders," when asked why he was there.
When asked how the Iraqi people have received him -- whether it be with "flowers or guns" -- the Texas man said "I don't understand ? they're people of their own country."
The woman said she was 30 years old. She had no shoes on.
The station said the prisoners were captured around Nasiriyah, a major crossing point over the Euphrates River northwest of Basra.
The British Ministry of Defense refused to comment about a BBC report that four were killed and 50 wounded during eight hours of fighting in Nasiriyah.
Al-Jazeera also showed at least one prisoner lying on a cot, appearing to be wounded. Two prisoners were bandaged.
One of the male prisoners, sitting up, was being interviewed by an unseen person holding a microphone labeled "Iraqi TV." The soldier spoke in English and at one point said: "I'm sorry. I don't understand you."
The station also showed a gruesome and disturbing video of bodies in uniform in an Iraqi morgue that it said were Americans.
While an Iraqi smiled at the camera over the bodies and shifted them to better display the wounds, the tape showed what is purported to be U.S. Marines in U.S. military attire lying on the floor with serious head and torso wounds -- many execution style.
At one point, Iraqis pulled out what appears to be a passport and other papers out of one deceased person's pocket. Soldiers' shirts were pulled up, and pants pulled down, to show the extent of the wounds.
Al-Jazeera also showed footage of what appeared to be a fuel or water carrier parked alongside a highway and a body in uniform with full gear and still wearing a helmet lying behind the carrier.
The U.S. Central Command had no comment.
U.S. military sources told Fox News that the maintenance units are generally less protected than the combat units.
The maintenance and supply troops follow the combat troops a few miles behind.
What may have happened, U.S. Defense officials say, is that as coalition forces moved north beyond cities putting up some resistance, Iraqis that supposedly laid down there arms Saturday may have come out and attacked the supply forces that followed.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, reacting to the video during an appearance on CBS' Face the Nation, said: "That's a violation of the Geneva Convention."
The convention prohibits photographing and humiliating captured troops.
Adopted in Aug. 12, 1949 by the Diplomatic Conference for the Establishment of International Conventions for the Protection of Victims of War, in Geneva, the agreement says prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated. Any unlawful act -- including death or injury -- committed by detainees "will be regarded as a serious breach of the present Convention," according to the agreement.
POWs should not be subjected to physical mutilation or to medical or scientific experiments not justified by the medical, dental or hospital treatment. POWs "at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity," it states.
"We will ? get these men and women out of there -- there's no question in my mind," Fox News military analyst Maj. Gen Burton Moore said Sunday.
Referring to the tape showing the dead bodies, Moore said: "Make no mistake about it ... if in fact it is our people, the execution of these people is against the Geneva Convention."
"This is an outrage -- it's an outage to all Americans and it will continue to shore up our resolve" to win war," Moore continued. "This is Saddam Hussein through and through -- this is no surprise they would do this ? this is still a terrible tragedy."
Former Air Force Secretary F. Whitten Peters told Fox News Sunday that if in fact the prisoners are part of a U.S. military unit, "this is going to be a real worry as the supply line gets longer" and supply troops will need better protection.
As Iraqi troops surrender to coalition forces, allied troops apprehend, search, then safeguard the Iraqis, as well as provide medical care if needed.
Fox News' Greg Kelly -- embedded with the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry unit -- asked Lt. Eric Wesley how he felt after hearing the news about the possibility that U.S. troops have been captured and killed.
"I think it's deplorable - it's not surprising coming from this regime," Wesley said. "However, I feel confident it won't be long ? we will not falter, we will not fail. We will be successful."
Pet,
What do you find objectionable about Guantamo Bay?
They are having food that is compatible with their religious beliefs & getting an oppurtunity to pray to their god. Imo they are getting treated better than they deserve. Read the above article that I just posted that says that the US soldiers were coldly executed by saddam's thugs. We feed the prisoners that are captured, while these thugs traet their prisoners like they are pieces of garbage. Were you outraged when the terrorist thugs slit Daniel Perle's throat ?
The un is a piece of shit useless organization that is of no use, & no spine. The members of the security council that has veto power have conflicts of interest when it comes to iraq. These countries are illegally trading, according to the un, weapons to iraq. How come you are not outraged by that? The best solution to the future of the un is to tear the building down, make sure that these foreign delegates are thrown out of this country.
The US was not playing on a level playing feel from the beginning with this mess.
People like you make me sick!!! People like you blame the US for everything, while never having a solution in dealing with saddam.The US is being blamed for this war, when in actually the people(if you call them people) who are to be blamed for this action are saddam, chirac & the others who are clearly on saddam's payroll. The US was buffaloed from the beginning.
