Beyond Those Sick Images

Under Saddam Hussein’s rule, Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad was known for torture and killings. Now, under U.S. occupation, it again is the subject of outrage, after the Army’s own investigation found “systemic and illegal abuse” of Iraqi prisoners and “sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses.” The actions of those involved -- at least six military police have been formally charged so far -- and their either uncaring or obtuse officers mock U.S. claims of liberating Iraq from dictatorial rule and unfairly tar the overwhelming majority of soldiers.

Pictures of naked prisoners with GIs giving the camera the thumbs-up signal were broadcast first on the CBS program “60 Minutes II” last week and then shown throughout the Arab world. The photos seal in Arab minds the image of Americans as an immoral, anti-Islamic invading force.

The humiliation and the assaults on prisoners occurred last year; in March the Army announced it had charged six military police officers and suspended others. Most are reservists, which raises the question of what kind of training they received before being called to active duty. Past examples of mistreatment -- including the “tiger cages” in which U.S. officials let South Vietnamese soldiers torture perceived enemies, and the French torture of Algerians during the African country’s fight for independence -- should have convinced the Defense Department that it must guard vigilantly against potential mistreatment of wartime detainees.

President Bush told Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Monday to ensure that “strong actions” would be taken against those who abused prisoners. A report by Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba outlines allegations of extensive wrongdoing, including by military intelligence personnel. The report also questions the actions of employees of private contractors. Clearly needed is a full, independent and open investigation of Abu Ghraib and other U.S.-run detention centers.

Any such investigation must cover reports from military police that they were asked to “loosen up” prisoners for questioning by military intelligence officers and then praised for the mistreatment. Last summer a team from the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, visited Iraq and recommended that MPs act as “an enabler for interrogation,” Taguba said. That’s a bad idea -- one that Taguba rejects. The reported suggestion from the Guantanamo team brings up fresh and worrisome questions about how prisoners there are treated.

Credit Taguba for a blunt report and the MPs who blew the whistle for living up to Army standards. But the Abu Ghraib scandal raises issues beyond this one prison: about poor command, about the possible role of military intelligence in encouraging acts that violate international law, about military training and the extensive use of private contractors for a host of jobs once done by soldiers. U.S. officials can’t fix what happened at Abu Ghraib, but they can show a commitment to fighting wrongdoing worldwide -- including and especially when it’s within U.S. ranks.