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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow America Helped ISIS (Prisons created radicalization) - NYT
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/opinion/how-america-helped-isis.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1&referrer=The Islamic State terrorists who have emerged in Iraq and Syria are neither new nor unfamiliar. Many of them spent years in detention centers run by the United States and its coalition partners in Iraq after 2003. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, spent nearly five years imprisoned at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq. A majority of the other top Islamic State leaders were also former prisoners, including: Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, Abu Louay, Abu Kassem, Abu Jurnas, Abu Shema and Abu Suja.
Before their detention, Mr. al-Baghdadi and others were violent radicals, intent on attacking America. Their time in prison deepened their extremism and gave them opportunities to broaden their following. At Camp Bucca, for example, the most radical figures were held alongside less threatening individuals, some of whom were not guilty of any violent crime. Coalition prisons became recruitment centers and training grounds for the terrorists the United States is now fighting.
This process began when coalition forces arrived in Iraq in 2003 and detained alleged terrorists with little preparation or oversight. Although soldiers tried to document the circumstances behind the detentions of Iraqis and foreign fighters, the process broke down under the pressure of fighting, the shortage of trained Arabic speakers, and the fog of war.
Simply being a suspicious looking military-aged male in the vicinity of an attack was enough to land one behind bars. There were 26,000 detainees at the height of the war, and over 100,000 individuals passed through the gates of Camps Bucca, Cropper and Taji. Quite a few were dangerous insurgents; many others were innocent.
Uncle Joe
(58,364 posts)Thanks for the thread, flamingdem.
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)I'd say some of those released prisoners are pretty motivated.
Nice quote you chose, well written opinion piece.
Purveyor
(29,876 posts)invasion/massacre of Iraq that are now of fighting age and more than willing to avenge the war crimes they witnessed.
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)or the relatives of those who were in prison.
All radicalized by war more than religion.
Purveyor
(29,876 posts)civilians.
Gotta keep the MIC beast fed, I suppose.
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)I see Bernie there, he's usually a bit more rebellious.
Purveyor
(29,876 posts)Keep hope alive...
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)She really let her hawk show when she said she would have armed the FSA to one up Obama
Cha
(297,275 posts)some on the internetz.
Bernie stands with the President on this "Enormously complicated issue".. as he calls it. He disagrees with staying out of ISIS like some around are clamoring on about.
As he stated it's an "International effort" and guess what.. "they have to put money in it too."
Senator Sanders also said Assad Gassed his own people.. whether the conspiracy theorists around here believe it or not..
Hartman and he talked about one republiCon saying.. they'll "blast him if it doesn't work and ask why he didn't do it sooner if it does." Sounds like a familiar whine.
Warning: Bernie has some nice things to say about the President!!
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)Love Bernie, he has a heart and gets it.
The Wizard
(12,545 posts)have made us a rogue nation. The beheadings are a response to the cartel's overthrow of a sovereign government so as to steal their resources. The cartel killed an untold number of innocent Iraqis and displaced millions. We are reaping the whirlwind and the military industrial media complex is hauling in huge ill gotten profits from our taxes. Governance by fear always fails in the end. The road to empire is littered with failed republics.