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thedrifter
12-20-07, 09:29 AM
Torture center, mass graves found in Diyala <br />
1 soldier killed, 10 wounded in explosion <br />
By Bradley Brooks - The Associated Press <br />
Posted : Thursday Dec 20, 2007 9:39:52 EST <br />
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BAGHDAD — U.S. soldiers...

thedrifter
12-21-07, 02:08 AM
Torture chamber shows that horrors remain
By Bradley Brooks - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 20, 2007 17:26:07 EST

BAGHDAD — Blood-splotches on walls, chains hanging from a ceiling and swords found on the killing floor of a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq torture chamber are the latest horrors discovered by U.S. soldiers pushing into a province that remains an extremist stronghold.

Scrawled in white paint on one wall above a bed used for torture was a Quranic phrase normally used to welcome a guest, but given the horrific surroundings, conveyed only sadistic mockery: “Come in, you are safe” was the message in Arabic.

The filthy dirt floor of the torture complex — found near nine mass graves containing the remains of 26 people — was littered with food wrappers, plastic soda bottles and electric cables that snaked to a metal bed frame, presumably where detainees were shocked.

Villagers nearby knew about the torture complex, but did not tell authorities as they were afraid of reprisals from the militants, a local policeman on Thursday told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as he was afraid of being targeted by extremists. He said he thought the chamber had been used for a year.

It was information from Iraqis, the military said, that did finally lead them to the site.

“We discovered several [weapons] caches, a torture facility that had chains, a bed — an iron bed that was still connected to a battery — knives and swords that were still covered in blood as we went in to go after the terrorists in that area,” said Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, the top U.S. commander in northern Iraq.

It was not the first such torture chamber discovered in Iraq, and it was a stark reminder of the horrors that exist in this country after nearly five years of war, despite growing optimism as violence has fallen about 60 percent since June.

The U.S. military — which discovered the torture site, along with nine weapons caches during a Dec. 8-11 operation north of Muqdadiyah, about 60 miles north of Baghdad — said it was used by al-Qaida in Iraq. Graffiti on the building proclaiming “Long Live the Islamic State” has been used by the insurgent group in the past. Their stated goal is to establish such a state, or caliphate, in Iraq.

Diyala province, where the grisly discovery was made, remains turbulent, largely because militants were pushed north into the area after the summer influx of U.S. troops into Baghdad, and east from Anbar province after anti-al-Qaida Sunni groups there grew in strength.

The province is mixed between Sunnis and Shiites, a microcosm of what Iraq was before sectarian bloodletting largely partitioned many parts of the country along religious lines. Diyala’s residents refer to it as “a little Iraq” — which makes fueling sectarian violence there an easier task.

“I think that is why al-Qaida wants that province so very much, because it is ‘a little Iraq,”’ Hertling said. “It gives them access to Baghdad and it also ... is considered their caliphate capital.”

Both Sunni insurgents and Shiite militia death squads regularly torture their captives before killing them — often with power drills. Most of the hundreds of bodies that have turned up in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq have had signs of torture.

In March, U.S. troops discovered a similar site in the village of Karmah just west of Baghdad that was used by Sunni insurgents for torture and summary executions. They rescued two Iraqi captives, who apparently had been spared immediate execution because the militants’ video camera broke and they wanted to film the killing.

The captives told U.S. soldiers they had been convicted to death by an insurgent court and had the choice of either beheading or a fatal gunshot.

As U.S. and Iraqi troops continue to carry out strikes in Diyala and push deeper into a province that includes areas never controlled by coalition forces, the discovery of more torture sites may occur.

Despite any progress made in Diyala, American commanders are the first to say they are a long way from declaring victory.

The nine weapons caches troops also discovered — containing a surface-to-air missile launcher, sniper rifles, and 130 pounds of homemade explosives among other weapons — points to an insurgent group that is still lethal, Hertling said.

Asked if he is confident his troops can safeguard territory gained and projects it has recently completed — such as a temporary bridge to replace one blown up by insurgents — Hertling was cautious.

“You know, there’s going to be continued spectacular attacks,” he said. “Are we confident we can protect it? As soon as I say, ‘Yeah, we’re confident,’ it’s going to blow tomorrow.”

Ellie