Torture? It probably killed more Americans than 9/11 A US major reveals the inside story of military interrogation in Iraq. By Patrick Cockburn, winner of the 2009 Orwell Prize for journalism April 26, 2009 "The Independent" -- The use of torture by the US has proved so counter-productive that it may have led to the death of as many US soldiers as civilians killed in 9/11, says the leader of a crack US interrogation team in Iraq. "The reason why foreign fighters joined al-Qa'ida in Iraq was overwhelmingly because of abuses at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib and not Islamic ideology," says Major Matthew Alexander, who personally conducted 300 interrogations of prisoners in Iraq. It was the team led by Major Alexander [a named assumed for security reasons] that obtained the information that led to the US military being able to locate Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of al-Qa'ida in Iraq. Zarqawi was then killed by bombs dropped by two US aircraft on the farm where he was hiding outside Baghdad on 7 June 2006. Major Alexander said that he learnt where Zarqawi was during a six-hour interrogation of a prisoner with whom he established relations of trust. Link: http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22497.htm
So if "torture" is what causes Islamic extremism and terrorism, what caused them to plot and carry out the 9/11 attacks in the first place?! Pure speculation without any substantive evidence. Anyone can believe anything they want, proving it is something else entirely. Baron Max
Baron: So if "torture" is what causes Islamic extremism and terrorism, what caused them to plot and carry out the 9/11 attacks in the first place?! Unwanted and negative american interference.
So ...you're suggesting absolute isolationism for the USA? Or more to the point of your recent postings, you're probably suggesting that the USA get approval from you in any and all of their future dealings with anyone. Baron Max
The suggestion would be that the US government officials and agents who recommended establishing and expanding a US torture program to the eventual blowback scale, be identified and assigned blame for the predictable (and predicted) consequences of their betrayal of their country and its principles. Personal accountability. If you don't keep a leash on the crackpots and thugs, they'll run your world.
Since the information came from the same torture process, are you saying the information these detainees provided are false?...after spending all these millions on them to set up the process? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
There's a thread for that and I have answered this question already, but if the U.S doesnt know how to behave in terms of foreign policy perhaps its good idea.
