Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Iraq: The Usual (Innocent) Suspects

Larry Kaplow, a correspondent with Cox Newspapers, has about as much experience on the ground in occupied Iraq as any American reporter. His articles appear frequently in The Austin-American Statesman, from deep in the heart of the war to deep in the heart of Texas. Anyone who wants to keep track of unfolding events and vital details in this conflict should be reading Larry's reporting:

Detention of Iraqis may be fueling insurgency
Those arrested by U.S. military usually have done nothing wrong; many come away with new resentment.

By Larry Kaplow
INTERNATIONAL STAFF
Sunday, September 11, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The U.S.-led dragnet for insurgents catches the harmless much more often than the dangerous, according to military figures, helping breed resentment among Iraqis who often languish in prison for months before the system sets them free.
Nearly 75 percent of all detainees arrested are being released because there is not enough evidence that they pose a threat, according to the Army.
About half are freed within days of their arrests by the units or divisions that captured them. But thousands of others are sent to major prisons, such as Abu Ghraib, where they wait an average of six months before being released, according to 1st Lt. Kristy Miller, spokeswoman for the military's detention system in Iraq.
From March 2003 through early last month, 42,228 Iraqi detainees had been sent into the system. As of Friday, 12,184 remained in U.S. detention...

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