UMM QASR, Iraq, 2 April 2003 — US and British troops have detained a wide range of men who might be combatants, adding to the ranks of the giant prison camp in this port city.
This collection point and interrogation center, the largest such US-British facility in the country, already has some 3,000 prisoners and has a capacity for 15,000.
British administrators insist that the complex adheres strictly to all international rules governing the treatment of prisoners. That was not much solace Monday to dozens of Iraqi women and a few men waiting outside who hadn’t seen their husbands, brothers or friends for days and, in most cases, insisted their loved ones are innocent.
Many of them found the lack of information particularly frustrating, as they wondered whether their missing relatives are even inside, whether they’re mistreated and what the intentions are of this occupying army, with its unknown customs and procedures. For many Iraqis, the sole context on prisoner issues has been Saddam Hussein’s regime, where prisoners frequently disappear.
The nature of this war has greatly affected the prisoner of war system as well. With Iraqi irregulars and soldiers mixing with the civilian population, US and British troops have detained some men based on their appearance and likelihood they could be members of the Iraqi military or senior figures in the ruling Baath Party.
The likelihood that this war could drag on longer than expected also placed a higher premium on intelligence, giving the allies an incentive to cast a wider net for detainees. A significant number of Iraqis also have turned themselves in to escape the fighting or, in some cases, to receive food, water and medical care.
Outside the camp, the waiting women and men paced, fretted and cried as the midday sun hit the mid-90s over the barbed wire and sand berm marking the perimeter.
Aroub Shalash Karim, 23, a lawyer, described how allied soldiers took away her father with a bag over his head. Hanan Elwan Khalaf, 23, said soldiers destroyed their possessions and almost set fire to the house before arresting her 60-year-old father and two brothers. And Rasmia Hamid said they took her son — whose only crime, she insisted, was trying to get some water from an aid tank truck.
“British soldiers five days ago broke down our metal door and came at us with machine guns,’’ said Rathya Mohamed, 49, as desert dirt mixed with tears to form muddy streaks on her distraught face. “They took my husband and my son away at 4 in the morning. He’s not a Baath Party member, just a civilian. They searched everything, stepped on my Qur’an, tore open flower pots. I’m terrified.’’
Some of the women said troops took prisoners based at times on information from Iraqis with questionable motives. Walaa Muhagar, 20, said soldiers entered his house with an informer who hid his face behind a gas mask. “Is this liberation or occupation?’’ said Muhagar, whose brother was identified by the masked man as a suspect. “Anyone who doesn’t like you can turn you in for money or a grudge. The British can easily be manipulated.’’
Virtually all the women said their missing relatives had been sleeping, driving, collecting water or doing other innocuous tasks when detained. The claims could not be verified. A few admitted that their loved ones were members of the Baath Party but had only signed up out of necessity.
“My husband is a Baath member but he’s not high up,’’ said Samira Lafty Ali, 40. “Everyone in Iraq is in the Baath. If you’re not, you can’t get a job.’’
Lt. Toby Smart, a member of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment charged with guarding the center, said it’s understandable that many of those outside the gate are almost panicked. “People are scared for their lives and families,’’ he said.
