Why they would do this is beyond me.
Scores of prisoners released from the controversial Abu Ghraib prison Tuesday were forced to take a winding, nearly five-hour journey through central Iraq on three hot, rickety buses escorted by U.S. military Humvees before being deposited without explanation in the middle of a gravel quarry near Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit.
It was unclear why the detainees, at least a hundred of them, were dropped off at the remote location 120 miles north of Baghdad. Some got rides home from relatives who had frantically followed the buses in their vehicles. Others climbed into the back of a dump truck or returned to their buses and got a ride back to Baghdad. A few were still milling about on the dirt road where they were released when a reporter and photographer left the scene.
The bizarre ordeal for the detainees came as the U.S. military continues to reel from the prisoner-abuse scandal that erupted last week. Photographs showed Iraqis at Abu Ghraib being subjected to various humiliations, including being stripped naked and forced to simulate sex acts.
U.S. military officials didn’t respond to several requests for comment about the way detainees were released Tuesday. Soldiers who escorted the convoy said briefly that there was some kind of mix-up, then they quickly drove away.
One of the Iraqi bus drivers said angrily as he was driving away: “They are playing with their nerves. They are trying to destroy them. This is not the first time.”
The Pentagon announced today that they were going to reduce the population of Abu Ghraib Prison by half. But why take them on this bizarre bus ride and dump them at a quarry? Why can’t they just walk out the gate and get picked up by family?
On Tuesday, most of the detainees appeared relieved to be out of custody. Some embraced relatives while others danced and chanted. One furiously tore up what appeared to be a glossy English-language brochure.
All were bound at the wrists during the journey, which started at the prison just west of Baghdad sometime before 10 a.m.
The three buses were escorted by three Humvees as they traveled first to Baghdad. As they entered the city, the convoy made a U-turn and then headed north. The buses were followed by nearly two dozen vehicles that move from side to side with turns and lane shifts.
About 60 miles north of Baghdad, near the town of Balad, the buses turned down a side road and entered a military base.
Outside the gate, Iraqis hoping to find relatives on the buses asked what was happening but were told only that the convoy was refueling. After about 15 minutes, an Iraqi guard suggested that family members drive to a second entrance where the convoy might emerge.
The Iraqis drove back to the main highway and waited at the turnoff leading to the other gate. There they could see if the convoy was coming from either direction.
Kamell Hassen, 52, of Samarra, said he was at the prison to inquire about when his brother, Thamer, 40, would be released, but couldn’t get any information.
“I saw three buses getting out of the prison,” he said. “I decided to follow the buses.”
Hassen said coalition forces came to his house in December and took his brother away after beating him in front of his family.
He said after the pictures of the Abu Ghraib prisoners were aired last week, “all my family is getting crazy.”
“This is a crime against humanity,” he said. “This is a crime against Islam and other religions.”
Though he didn’t know if his brother was on any of the buses, he said he was willing to follow them “until midnight.”
Suddenly the convoy appeared again on the main highway. The detainees waved from their windows as they rode by. The awaiting Iraqis scrambled into their vehicles to resume the mysterious pursuit.
The convoy eventually reached the outskirts of Tikrit and wound its way down some residential streets before crossing a bridge and driving onto a dirt road.
About a mile down the road the convoy stopped and, after a few moments of confusion, the prisoners were released around 2:30 p.m.
One detainee, who declined to give his name, asked, “Is this democracy?”
This callous treatment just reinforces the impression of American disregard for the Iraqis’ wellbeing and dignity. Why can’t they do something decent for just once! Not even in the middle of the furor over the revelation of systematic torture and murder in Abu Ghraib, do they try to display some humanity. This is digusting.