US abuse of Afghan prisoners systemic-rights group

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL18507.htm

KABUL, May 13 (Reuters) - Mistreatment of prisoners by American forces in Afghanistan is systemic and not limited to a few cases, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday, a day after the U.S. military in Kabul launched an investigation into abuse.

The rights body demanded the immediate release of information about two Afghans killed in U.S. custody 18 months ago. The U.S. military says the investigations are continuing.

The military said on Wednesday it had opened an inquiry into complaints by a former police officer that he was beaten, kicked, taunted, sexually abused and photographed naked during roughly 40 days in American custody in Afghanistan last summer.

The U.S.-led force of 20,000 troops hunting militants from al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan is keen to contain the damage from the latest allegations, after facing a backlash across the Arab world for abusing prisoners in Iraq. snip

"BLUNT FORCE" INJURIES

The U.S. military said in March last year the deaths of two Afghans in U.S. custody at Bagram in December 2002 were homicides and news reports quoted a spokesman as saying they had suffered "blunt force" injuries.

more...I still can't figure out how there can be a headline about abuse and a story about homicide. I thought the word homicide indicates something worse than abuse? Can someone abuse a person to death?

[NashVegas]

1. Semantics

It's amazing how the mainstream news media has allowed itself to be cowed into using the mild "abuse," and not calling it for what it is: "torture."