Feb 15, 2010
A former commanding officer of a British army unit has denied that he knew about allegations Iraqi prisoners were abused by troops under his command in 2003.
But Colonel Jorge Mendonca admitted responsibility for the death of an Iraqi civilian in his troops' custody, telling the public inquiry into the incident Monday that as commander it was his duty.
Mendonca said that officers may have decided not to tell him about alleged abuse by his men in Basra, southern Iraq, preferring that he be "kept out of the loop."
"There is, of course, the possibility that because I had, I think, a very clear reputation for doing things properly that some officers might have thought that was a reason for me to be kept out of the loop on things," he said. >>>>>
Ethnic cleansing in Afghanistan
15 Feb 2010
As I write this, two NATO rockets have just slaughtered around a dozen innocent Afghan civilians during the latest military assault in the war torn country.
Ordinary Afghan men, women and children are paying the blood price for a war launched by politicians from the West.
Soldiers, including American and British, who signed up to escape the poverty in their respective recession-hit countries are also giving the ultimate sacrifice.
And all this is being done in the name of freedom and liberty by career politicians who are dripping in the blood of innocents - weasels who will never have to sacrifice anything.
And judging from Tony Blair's callous demeanour as he gave evidence during the ongoing Iraq Inquiry, being a political leader whether Prime Minister or President, means never even having to say sorry. >>>>>
Ex-UK commander admits Iraqi torture, denies role
16 Feb 2010
(PA photo) Jorge Mendonca leaves the Baha Mousa public inquiry on February 15, 2009.
A former British army commander in Iraq, Colonel Jorge Mendonca, has denied any involvement or knowledge at the time of torture of civilian detainees by his regiment.
Mendonca was cleared by a court martial over the death of the 26-year-old Iraqi hotel receptionist, Baha Mousa, but Britain's only convicted war criminal accused the senior army officer last November of being violent towards detainees himself.
Mousa was killed with 93 injuries to his body while in British custody in Basra in September 2003.
Mendonca told a public inquiry on Monday that while he accepted responsibility for what had happened, it was important to stress that his subordinates had kept him in the dark.
Donald Payne is the sole soldier sentenced in the torture case, while ten other soldiers from Mendonca's unit have also admitted assaulting Mousa and six other Iraqis arrested with him. >>>>>
Is it The Iraq Inquiry or the Chilcot Conspiracy?
18 February 2010
I am sure you have all been glued to your seats watching the masquerade unfold and realized that this wasn't going to be a "Shock and Awe" investigation but rather another waste of taxpayers money for a chosen panel to pontificate how they were going to con us all into believing this was truly British justice at work.
One could almost guess what questions were going to be asked, realizing that they had been well chosen. Then we listened to those well orchestrated responses that appeared to just flow out....almost like a good Shakespearian play, full of powerful words and emotions. >>>>>
Torture demeans the torturer as well as the victim
18 February 2010 The policy of rendition was developed, and condoned by Britain, to get round the law
Within the next few weeks it is hoped that the final act of the long-running case of disclosure of information in the case of the torture of Binyam Mohamed is played out in the Court of Appeal. It has been an almost endless, and an endlessly shaming, process. The original case was brought by Mr Mohamed, held for five years in dark corners around the world, who claimed that he had been tortured and that the British intelligence service knew and were complicit in it. Of his torture there is little doubt. It was brutal, humiliating and sustained at the behest of the CIA. Of British complicity in this there is more and more evidence.
The recent round of submissions have concerned the Government's attempts to suppress some of the documents in the case on grounds of security. The Foreign Office has already lost last week the effort to stop publication of the details of the torture supplied by the Americans on grounds of breaching trust with the US intelligence services. >>>>>
As well as the Nation/Country the torturer represents!!
Brown: ‘Saddam’s WMDs were not why I backed the Iraq war’
February 18, 2010
Gordon Brown has revealed that he did not support military action against Saddam Hussein because of the possible existence of weapons of mass destruction.
The threat of a WMD attack on British interests was the primary reason given to the House of Commons by Prime Minister Tony Blair for the invasion of Iraq and the reason many MPs backed it.
But in an exclusive interview with Tribune, Mr Brown said that it was not the threat of WMDs – later proven to be non-existent – but Saddam Hussein’s failure to comply with international demands on disclosure that persuaded him that action was necessary.
The will raise fresh questions about the basis and legality of Britain’s involvement in the invasion in coalition with the United States. Mr Brown’s predecessor Tony Blair has never wavered in his view that the threat was considered real at the time. >>>>>
PROFILE: Jonathan Sumption
February 21, 2010
The barrister Jonathan Sumption has been described as the cleverest man in Britain, with “a brain the size of the planet” and fees to match. So when David Miliband hired this top legal banana to help to suppress evidence of MI5’s complicity in torturing a terrorist suspect, the foreign secretary did not envisage any slip-ups.
Yet thanks to Sumption’s interventions, two High Court judges have been affronted, the master of the rolls has been forced to censor his own draft judgment and the head of MI5 has been plunged into a row that shows no sign of abating. >>>>>
Al Haig and a 'Green Light' to Chaos
February 21, 2010
A "top secret" document authored by Haig in 1981 contained a stunning claim: that Carter, frustrated over his failure to resolve the hostage crisis, gave a "green light" to Iraq's Saddam Hussein to invade Iran in September 1980, starting a war that altered the region's power balance and reverberates to today.
Whether Haig's assessment was correct remains in dispute Carter denied encouraging the attack and Haig, citing the document's classified status, refused to discuss it. Now, Haig has taken that history to the grave. Below is our original article (slightly edited):
Snip
The Iran-Iraq War set the stage for Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990; the subsequent U.S.-led campaign to drive Iraqi forces out in 1991; the anti-U.S. turn of Saudi Osama bin Laden, who vowed to drive American forces out Islamic lands; President George W. Bush's conquest of Iraq in 2003; and much of today's tensions between the West and Iran. >>>>>
Prime minister to face Iraq inquiry next week
22 February 2010
Gordon Brown will be asked about his time as chancellor and prime minister
Gordon Brown will be asked about his time as chancellor and prime minister
Prime Minister Gordon Brown will appear before the Iraq war inquiry on Friday 5 March, it has been announced.
Tickets for the central London hearing will by allocated by public ballot.
International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander will give evidence on the same day, with Foreign Secretary David Miliband appearing on 8 March.
In an interview last week, the prime minister said his appearance would be a chance to show "everything I did was both thought-through and justified". >>>>>
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