March 28, 2005
Army Documents Shed Light on CIA 'Ghosting'
Systematic concealment of detainees is found.
According to statements investigators took from soldiers and officers who worked at the prison, a stream of ghost detainees began arriving in September 2003, after military intelligence officers and the CIA came to an arrangement that kept the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations from knowing the detainees existed.
The investigative documents show that Col. Thomas M. Pappas and Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan, the top two military intelligence officers at the prison, took part in discussions with the CIA on how to handle agency detainees.
Pappas and Jordan are still under investigation, and Army officials said they believe a decision about whether to discipline them could come by the end of the month.
Keeping ghost detainees was harshly criticized by Army investigators who looked into abuse at the prison, and human rights groups condemn the practice. The Red Cross regularly inspects prisons and is supposed to have access to all inmates to ensure their rights are protected.
The most recent Pentagon review of detainee abuse was released this month by Vice Adm. Albert T. Church III, who told reporters that his probe found 30 cases in which prisoners were held off the books..
~The article doesn't say what happened to the 30 prisoners/cases or where these people might be now.
Note that the article's limited to 'ghosting' of CIA prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Are there similar CIA arrangements with the US Military or with foreign armed-forces in other countries? See Aboard Air CIA for the larger picture.
"Ghosting" is not the same as "disappearing", except for the 'ghosts' and their families.
Does anyone know how many people the CIA have kidnapped since 9/11? Best guess? It's not kidnapping because they're fighting terrorism.
[image via google/not with article]