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May 28th, 2009 by Hans Jaap Melissen
I am in Kabul. But after revelations about new photos of torture in Iraqi prison Abu Ghraib, I think back to a particular moment, five years ago.
It was a warm evening in Baghdad, in May 2004. A few officers of the U.S. military in Iraq, sat on the balcony of one of Saddam's palaces thick cigar smoke. I was as a journalist who was waiting for embed-place in a corner of the balcony. The officers seemed to forget that I was. The earth was dark and I listened to their conversations
Dealing with Abu Ghraib. The scandal was just a few weeks in the news and there were still new pictures out.
"It is really terrible. There are still many more photos and a lot worse. There are even pictures that show how American soldiers have sex with prisoners, photographs showing American soldiers themselves, and also photographs showing prisoners themselves are. "
I tried to be as quiet as possible to remain seated.
The conversation continued on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. I understand that the following day, in the deepest secret countries to themselves to visit Abu Ghraib. Suddenly one of the officers turned around and cried in my direction: "Hans, are you still here?"
The startled officer took me to a separate room. "You understand that you can not have already reported that Rumsfeld here tomorrow lands. Because then the whole day in the airport fire and he is not even more. "
Not a word about the photos. So I brought the topic itself. "Have you bad photos that have seen" I asked. "No, but I know that such photographs. They are keeping away, otherwise the damage is incalculable. "The U.S. intelligence had all the photos in possession, I understood too.
For a journalist it was a difficult dilemma: I had not seen pictures and my sources are not. They only have access to the right people who could know about the scandal. But it could also be significant to them.
On the radio, I did mention the fact that it is probable that much worse pictures were. And that sex would be to see, in all possible combinations. Americans with each other, with prisoners and prisoners also with each other.
The next day I went back to Abu Ghraib. As I asked Donald Rumsfeld, he never thought to resign because the scandal. He ignored the question and said something friendly about the Dutch troops in Iraq, while his guard I tried to pull away. Fast he disappeared into a waiting car.
A question about worse photos I could not say.
For years that questions are asked, even by American journalists. Never had concrete answers. So now a former General, the investigation led to Abu Ghraib, he admits that all those photos with your own eyes have seen. Including a photo of a U.S. soldier who raped an Iraqi woman. Pictures of sex between soldiers themselves and (forced) sex of prisoners are describing the former general is not. But I trust retroactively the officers then complete.
Problem is, even after five years, these photos still remain secret for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to protect. This is now Obama. It is a decision that Donald Rumsfeld will undoubtedly satisfied.