Posted on 06/16/2004 7:33:22 PM PDT by wagglebee
A "high-value" detainee was hidden from Red Cross inspectors in Iraq on the orders of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (search), U.S. officials told Fox News.
The prisoner's situation, as first reported by U.S. News and World Report on Monday, was described as the result of a directive issued from the top American commander in Iraq, Gen. Ricardo Sanchez (search). However, the order to hide the detainee, described by officials as a terrorist, seems to have come from as high up as the Pentagon, Fox News has learned.
The 800th Military Police Brigade, which has been under heightened scrutiny since the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal first broke, was instructed to keep the detainee, referred to as "Prisoner XXX," out of sight of the International Committee of the Red Cross (search).
"XXX" was held in U.S. custody but not issued an "INS" number used by the coalition and the ICRC for tracking prisoners in Iraq, senior Defense officials said. "XXX" was also isolated and heavily guarded at the High Value Detention facility Camp Cropper near the Baghdad airport beginning last November, according to U.S. News.
The detainee's presence was kept so secret, in fact, that the military may have even lost track of him at times.
Officials said "XXX" was a senior member of the Al Qaeda-affiliated group Ansar al-Islam. After his capture, intelligence and military officers quickly determined he was valuable as an information source.
"He knew Ansar al-Islam's leadership structure, he knew their training techniques and he knew the locations of their camps and some of their operatives," one official said.
U.S. officials disputed any accusations that the military's handling of "XXX" was illegal, stating that a detainee who represents a direct threat to coalition forces does not have to be registered with the ICRC "right away."
"The Geneva Convention does not require that someone like this be immediately registered," one official said. "This guy was involved in terrorist activity in Iraq, and was involved in planning attacks on coalition forces."
But since the release earlier this month of confidential memos in which Justice Department lawyers argued Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters did not merit Geneva protections, the Bush Administration has stepped away from those assertions.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The military may have suspected that the rep from American Red Cross-Red Crescent would report back to our enemies who was being held, and where.
Uh-oh.
The bad guys see his name, know what he knows, changes those things. Codes, safe houses, etc.
The guy is a security detainee under the Fourth Geneva Convention, and there is a specific provision for not allowing the ICRC or other groups not to see prisoners for security.
Terrorists have no rights under the laws of war.
We support the Red Cross to save lives- not to sacrifice them.
You may be close to the real story - I was thinking that this guy might have been of such high value that keeping his capture secret for the time was more important... That in combination with the very real possibility of a mole in the Red Cross/ Red Crescent makes for a very legitimate reason to keep the guy under wraps.
From your lips to God's ears, please.......
A simple question: how many 'detained individuals' (of whatever nationality) have the iraqis let the ICRC interview?
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