You cast a broad net just then. Some of the detainees were very likely innocent civilians. Some were even likely good guys working for the cause. Some, of course, were also despicable mercenaries working for a dictator wannabee.
A numerical estimate:
"In almost all instances..., arresting authorities provided no in formation about who they were, where their base was located, nor did they explain the cause of arrest. Similarly, they rarely informed the arrestee or his family where he was being taken and for how long, resulting in the de facto "disappearance" of the arrestee.... Many [families] were left without news for months, often fearing that their relatives were dead. "
We might pass over with a shiver the word "disappearance," with its unfortunate associations, and say to ourselves, once again, that this was war: insurgents were busy killing American soldiers and had to be rooted out, even if it meant one or two innocent civilians were sucked up into the system. And then one comes upon this quiet little sentence:
"Certain [Coalition Forces] military intelligence officers told the ICRC that in their estimate between 70 percent and 90 percent of the persons deprived of their liberty in Iraq had been arrested by mistake." [emphasis added] (from nybooks.com , references to documentation sources provided in original. ) |
