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Ex-CIA man slates 'torture'

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Published Date: 12 December 2007
CIA officers extracted valuable information from a terrorist suspect after he was subjected to waterboarding, a simulated drowning technique condemned as torture, a former CIA interrogator has said.
Abu Zubaida, a suspected al-Qaeda lieutenant, co-operated less than a minute after interrogators subjected him to the technique, John Kiriakou, told ABC News and the Washington Post.

"It was like flipping a switch," Mr Kiriakou, who now works in the private sector, said. He said the session probably helped prevent attacks, but he now believes waterboarding is torture and "Americans are better than that".



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1

Guga is so predictable,

12/12/2007 01:13:36

I can't wait to hear poor old Guga rant about the War Criminal Bush. I feel sorry for Guga ever since I hear he lost his genitals in a car accident when he was a wee boy.

2

Lynne,

USA 12/12/2007 01:29:33

Don't feel sorry for him # 1...if he feels incompetent there is now an implant to help him!!

3

Scullion,

Canada 12/12/2007 02:11:18

#1 and #2 Such childishness.
If we condemn the Spanish inquisition, then we must condemn this.

4

Lynne,

USA 12/12/2007 02:27:06

Don't be stupid. In Annapolis, the Naval Academy, the cadets go thru this training themselves.
Navy Seals go thru this training too. I'm sure if we can "torture" ourselves...this is not torture.
It has saved THOUSANDS of lives and stopped hundreds of attacks.
Get Real..if they had one of the coalition, what do you think THEY would do? Invite you to sit and join them for dinner? I don't think so..probably beheading is more to their liking.

5

Guga II,

Rockall 12/12/2007 03:14:31

#1 Here we go again, the Republican troll is still obsessed with other people's genitals. Is it being a Republican that make you into a pervert, or were you just born that way?

#2 Lynne. I expected better from you, but obviously you must have caught this Republican pervert gene as well.

In any event, all this does is besmirch the American people when an incompetent megalomaniac and war criminal like Bush allows people to be kidnapped, interned, tortured and murdered by American forces and the CIA.

6

,

12/12/2007 03:28:34
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
7

Dáithí,

San Jose 12/12/2007 03:40:41

#1 -

The 'genitals' stuff isn't necessary or helpful. There are plenty of areas to dispute Guga II with, let's exploit those.

#5 - Guga

Mr. Kiriakou states that "the session probably helped prevent attacks" saving many lives.

You seem to be completely unable to put this in perspective, in comparison to Fundamentalist Islamic Religious Extremists sawing off heads, blowing body parts off civillians ore even hiding behind them as human shields.

You lose all credibility when you compare one to the other. Abu Zubaida is alive and healthy - while victims of Islamic torture have their heads lying in a ditch.

What, exactly, is your REAL problem??

8

,

12/12/2007 04:11:41
Comment Removed By Administrator
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9

Who is a Gurnee?,

IL 12/12/2007 04:44:07

1. Guga is so predictable

Who is Guga? Where is Rockall? And even though I don't know him, I feel sorry for any guy who lost his balls in an accident.

10

Dáithí,

San Jose 12/12/2007 05:34:44

#9 - Gurnee

The question isn't 'where is Rockall', but 'what does Rockall represent'?

Rockall is a wee rock out in the ocean, ownership is symbolic - it sits atop a perceived mound of gas.

Ownership of Rockall is crucial if a country were to proclaim its independence and 'nationalize' these reserves in the hope of becoming 'white arabs'.

11

Graeme,

Guangzhou 12/12/2007 07:00:31

Some interesting comments above. Just to put you straight. Gaga’s views, normally hypocritical at best, are a result of the massive chip squarely resting on the poor mans shoulders. This is especially true in relation to our English “colonial masters” that so obsess him. Please also understand (and this is in no way intended as a defense) but Gaga is a little man that supports a beard (probably ginger). So if you are hoping for any improvement in his general reasoning/debate in the future please don’t hold your breath.

12

Gary.,

12/12/2007 07:38:01

Good 'torture' than dead and tortured by beheading alive! Imagine how many lives are saved as a result and this has greatly prevented bloodshed. That is what matters most. No sympathy for al-Qaeda terrorist.

13

IH8 censors,

everywhere 12/12/2007 11:11:11

Well said Gary

14

Guga II,

Rockall 12/12/2007 12:13:16

#11 Graham. Listen sunshine, I'm probably head and shoulders taller than you, so you are the little man with the little brain. I can't understand why you ever comment on Scottish matters as you live under a dictatorship in China. What's your obsession with my beard? Is it that you are incapable of growing one, or are you just too young yet?

15

James Donald,

Croix d'Torfin 12/12/2007 12:14:50

#4. Lynne, USA - "Navy Seals go thru this training too. I'm sure if we can "torture" ourselves...this is not torture" - Most "Special Forces" (some are more "Special" than others) go through this sort of treatment as part of their "resistance to interogation" training (always with the knowledge that their instructors will not go too far) as the type of warfare they engage in means that they have a higher possibility of capture and may be tortured as part of their interogation.
If you still do not think "waterboarding" is torture, have someone try it on you, then come back and let us have your informed opinion. Torture is not only morally repugnant, the information obtained in this way is often unreliable. If someone "worked" on you with a pair of pliers and a bit of "waterboarding", there is every chance that within a short time you would confess to being Bin Laden's moll if it made it stop.

16

,

12/12/2007 12:15:15
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason: Scotsman Import, Original comment id: 1224068, Article id was mapped to record!
17

Guga II,

Rockall 12/12/2007 12:19:12

#7 My real problem is that I do not believe in torture, for any reason.

Are you telling me that America, with all its intelligence infrastructure, is so incompetent that it has to resort to torture to get information?

How would you lot react if you found that American soldiers were being tortured? You'd probably all be screaming that they should be nuked.

The actions of the American government in restorting to kidnapping, internment, torture and murder drags your country down to the level of thugs. I am sure htat the majority of decent Americans do not aspire to that.

18

Seven Seas,

12/12/2007 14:50:23

16. Guga II, Rockall

"there is nothing wrong with my "tackle", "

Please explain, I'm a new reader.

19

Paddi,

12/12/2007 16:15:35

This ex-CIA man must be congratulated.

He disowns this amoral and illegal practice. How can anyone claim the moral high ground and then defend the indefensible, hiding behind slogans worthy of dictatorships “defending freedom and democracy”. You’re no better than the people you torture.

20

Captain Midnight,

San Francisco, USA 12/12/2007 18:46:29

Have you hugged an islamofascist lately. I guess we could all try to hug and understand them; to make them feel better and to make them sing.

21

Conan,

Moffat 12/12/2007 19:43:05

Guga and James Donald - theorists without a clue, both of them.

They would have you believe that 'waterboarding' is 'torture'. It is not.

Done correctly, it inflicts no permanent injury and can repeated as often as necessary, and as severely as necessary (varying the time imersed - indeed, imersion is not actually needed as any near-sufocation and the ensuing 'panic response' can easily be achieved by other, and less messy, means - a wash cloth and cups of water will work, too) until verifiable results are obtained.

It is merely a form of intense coersion and definitely should be in the inventory of interrogators.

Others may disagree.

But, for those others who disagree, if or when drug-based methods are not available, when time may be of the escence, what precisely do the critics of methods such as waterboarding suggest as a means of putting the right kind of immediate pressure on the subject to knock them off their perch and srat them singing?

22

Paddi,

12/12/2007 21:19:17

#21 Why on earth would anyone want to believe your cock and bull story? the EX CIA man has said it was torture , you on this board refuting his words doesn’t change it, you telling us that night is day aint going to make it light outside at midnight. In case there is any confusion here is want International law says about torture.

"any act by which pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession"

How clear is that??

#20, you want to hug fascists? that's fine, step outside your front door, you wont have to go far to find millions of them

23

IH8 censors,

12/12/2007 23:04:24

22. Paddi

It's not torture, they put the US Air Force guys thru actual drowning, not silly water boarding.

http://www.af.mil/news/airman/0200/pj2.htm

“Once you pass out the first time, you get used to it,” said the 24-year-old from Camarillo, Calif. “It’s like — it hurts, it hurts, and boom, you’re asleep. Then you wake up, some-body’s slapping your face, and you’ve got this oxygen mask covering your mouth. It’s really not that bad, no big deal.”

Excuse me — No big deal? For most people, drowning ranks pretty high in the “big deal” department, right up there with electrocution, decapitation and being buried alive. But Cunningham isn’t what you’d call most people. He’s going through the toughest school on the planet in hopes of becoming an Air Force pararescueman, also commonly called a “PJ,” which comes from the old symbol on aircrew orders for parachutist.

24

Let's have the truth,

13/12/2007 00:07:21

# 4 - Lynne

...Of all people, you were the last that I'd have expected to admit to agreeing with the techniques of the Gestapo.

25

James Donald,

Croix d'Torfin 13/12/2007 00:15:45

#21. Conan, Moffat - "Guga and James Donald - theorists without a clue, both of them" - no insult when it comes from the likes of you.
Like the now strangely quiet Lynne, perhaps you should let someone try "waterboarding" on you (please form an orderly queue all applicants for this job), then come back at let us have your INFORMED opinion as to whether it is torture or not. Only moral degenerates advocate torture (Lynne has shown no objections in the past) but worse still are those who deny such things as "waterboarding" are torture.

26

,

13/12/2007 02:01:10
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
27

Conan,

Moffat 13/12/2007 04:37:44

Not intended to be an insult, James, merely stating the bleeding obvious.

28

James Donald,

Croix d'Torfin 13/12/2007 06:36:46

#26. Conan, Moffat - Yes......it is quite obvious what you are. So you won't be advocating "waterboarding" until you have tried it then?

29

P.K,

13/12/2007 08:49:15

#23

Great link, IH8 censors. So, I see nothing new there are indeed people going through this procedure before. What more, even to come out alive and healthy as usual. No doubt, saving lives and prevention of a catastrophe or tragic situation are top priorities for CIA officers rather than to be bogged down with individuals' interpretation of waterboarding. Abu Zubaida would be more happy to choose waterboarding to burning with hot iron/physical mutilation nor would he likes to have his head sawn off alive.

30

Ross Fyffe,

Scotland 10/01/2008 01:30:44
look folks, lets get "real" about this, every Government, has at its disposal proper, lethal and useful torture methods and rightly so.

Imagine the scenario, sleeper discovered, arrested and he says the first bomb goes off in 60 mins and and it is a dirty bomb. he does not say which city it is in, later a bomb explodes in Liverpool, then he says his wee religous phrase and says the next one goes of soon, and hey presto boom it goes in edinburgh.

Then he says the "big one" is on a jetliner and is set to go off when the plane is over London.

Are you softy liberals telling me that you don't want every physical, chemical, psycological and barbaric torture used to get the info needed??

If so you deserve the country you will have.

31

common sense voice,

21/04/2009 07:31:15
fancy going for a pint #30, you sound like your in my wavelength..

 

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