Less abusive interrogation producing more intelligence, U.S. general (says

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

http://www.adn.com/24hour/iraq/story/1625571p-9326676c.html

By JIM KRANE, Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq (September 6, 12:14 pm ADT) - The U.S. military is reaping more high-quality intelligence tips from Iraqi prisoners than ever since it jettisoned several coercive interrogation techniques after the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal in May, the American general in charge of Iraqi prisons said Monday.
The number of tips on insurgent operations or on the structure and financing of anti-U.S. guerrilla bands has increased 50 percent since January, Army Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller said in a briefing with reporters.

It is unclear what effect the intelligence has had on the insurgency. Between July and August, when Miller cited an increase in actionable tips from 200 to 325, rebel ambushes on U.S. forces grew 70 percent, from 1,600 to 2,700, according to U.S. military figures. Those attacks do not include sustained battles, such as the three weeks of fighting in Najaf last month.

After the revelations of prisoner abuses by U.S. soldiers in the spring, the military brought in new teams of Army Military Intelligence interrogators at Abu Ghraib and other U.S.-run prisons. Interrogators were told to change their methods, said Miller, who was in charge of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba and now runs U.S. detention facilities in Iraq.

Soldiers are no longer allowed to "soften up" prisoners by forcing them into so-called stress positions, standing or squatting in uncomfortable poses for long periods. Also banned is the practice of exposing inmates to extreme temperatures, or withholding food or denying sleep.

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[soothsayer]

1. they are so stupid

Torture just makes you want to lie to make it stop.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

2. Right.

It's been proven that tourture is not an effective means of extracting information.

Has anyone watched the show "24"? It disturbed me how much torture takes place on that show by the supposed good guys. Given that it shows on Fox, my tinfoil hat theory is that it's a way of desensitizing the public. :tinfoilhat:

[soothsayer]

6. I like your tinfoil hat theory

Prolly so.

[Plaid Adder]

3. Fuckin' DUH, man.

Why this is not obvious to people will always be beyond me. Because if you're going to torture people "until they tell you the truth," how do you know when they've told you the truth? When they finally say something you agree with. So basically, if you happen to find out anything true from torturing someone it will be something you already know; and if your subject tells you something that contradicts what you already know, you'll assume he's lying and keep torturing him until he changes it to 'the truth.' So by torturing people you find out what you think is true, not what's actually true.

Simple enough concept to grasp...

Sigh,

The Plaid Adder

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

5. Too simple for simple minds... The administration is made up by

the types that probably enjoyed pulling the wings off of flies as children. I guess this is an example of trickle down mindsets.

[skygazer]

4. Gee, ya think?

Any idiot who's ever been beat up by anyone knows that it you get beat up bad enough, you'll say ANYTHING to get outta there.

Maybe the problem with Bush and Ashcroft and Co. is that they haven't been beat up enough...

[slojim240]

7. Just how good is the new intelligence we are collecting since 7 soldiers

were killed today?

[slojim240]

8. Oh, boy, they are now going to find those WMDs (that we planted)

I bet my next pay check (if I had one).