The Hindu : International : Rumsfeld in Iraq on damage control mission

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Friday, May 14, 2004

International

International

Rumsfeld in Iraq on damage control mission

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA, MAY 13. The embattled U.S. Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, arrived in Baghdad on a surprise visit amid the growing controversy over abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American troops.

Mr. Rumsfeld, accompanied by the Chairman, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Richard Myers, said that he wanted to ensure that the detenus were treated properly and U.S. troops were "behaving right."

As Mr. Rumsfeld flew in, U.S. troops engaged in fresh clashes in Karbala with forces loyal to the Shia cleric, Moqtada Al Sadr.

Prior to his arrival, Mr. Rumsfeld told journalists travelling with him that the purpose of his visit was not to cover up the scandal.

"If anybody thinks that I'm (in Iraq) to throw water on a fire, they're wrong," he was quoted as saying. "We care about the detainees being treated right.

We care about soldiers behaving right. We care about command systems working," he said. On Wednesday, Mr. Rumsfeld defended the methods of interrogation used by U.S. troops in Iraq.

Speaking before a Senate committee, he said that Pentagon lawyers had approved methods such as sleep deprivation, dietary changes and making prisoners assume stress positions.

Meanwhile, militiamen from Mr. Al Sadr's Mehdi Army clashed with U.S. troops in Karbala this afternoon, amid reports that a U.S. army tank was damaged when hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.

The U.S. military has not confirmed the report. The fighting is taking place less than 1 km from the revered Imam Hussein mosque.

In overnight clashes in Najaf, Shia militiamen raided a police station and seized weapons from there. Mr. Al Sadr, who has held negotiations with tribesmen, said on Wednesday that he would disband the Mehdi Army if Shia spiritual leaders asked him to do so by issuing an edict.

He, however, insisted on the exit of U.S. troops from Iraq, and said that the militia could join a new Iraqi army thereafter.

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