Iraqi minister: Torture claims exaggerated (AP) Updated: 2005-11-17 21:53
Earlier, Maj. Gen. Hussein Kamal, Iraq's deputy interior minister, called for
a unified command over detention centers to prevent future cases of torture,
saying that the new government's worst fear had come to pass.
"What we were afraid of has happened when some prisoners were subjected to
ill-treatment at the hands of the investigators," Kamal said. "We strongly
condemn such illegal acts."
Sunni Arab anger has welled up following revelations by the Shiite prime
minister that 173 detainees, malnourished and some showing signs of torture, had
been found in an Interior Ministry building seized by U.S. troops in Baghdad
last weekend. Most were believed to be Sunni Arabs.
Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari promised a full investigation and
punishment for anyone guilty of torture. But Sunni leaders claimed the
Shiite-led security forces were trying to intimidate Sunnis from voting and
demanded an international investigation.
Most insurgents are Sunnis, while Shiites and Kurds dominate the U.S.-backed
security services.
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