Human Remnants Of War

So I was reading through the Al Rawi V Titan-corp/CACI class action for an Abu Ghraib refresher, http://www.cdi.org/news/law/Al-Rawi-v-Titan-Complaint.pdf

and amid all the rape, execution, permanently damaging beatings, dragging of naked prisoners through hot sand, placing prisoners on hot vehicles in 122 degree sun till they suffered third degree burns requiring 3 months of hospitalization, sodomy with broom handles, and outright theft of 100's of thousands of US$ when these detainees were arrested.

I came across the IRC report in the exhibits. I hadn't really read through that before, but I came across the incident at Camp Bucca where 3 detainees were blown up by a cluster bomb. It got me wondering if there was ever a follow up on these guys as it seemed little publicized.
All I could find was this:

http://usmedicine.com/column.cfm?columnID=150&issueID=57

Human Remnants Of War
There are as yet no substantive data on casualties from cluster bombs used in the Iraq war, but there are plenty of anecdotes. One incident in particular bothers me very much and not just because of the terrible injuries that resulted. It happened in a place called Camp Bucca, a U.S.-run detention center, near the Kuwait border on September 3rd, 2003. Three detainees were clearing rubbish when one of them disturbed a bomblet, which detonated. The results were catastrophic. They were evacuated to a British field hospital and treated by a team led by Dr. David Vassallo (again!). The men were terribly wounded and despite the best efforts of the team, all lost legs. The first, Farhan, aged 18 from Syria underwent bilateral above-knee amputation. Nadim, aged 24 from Lebanon, bilateral below-knee amputation. The third, Wael aged 25 from Jordan, left above-knee amputation.

Despite the severity of their injuries the three are recovering. But two months after their accident they remain in the field hospital; they cannot return to Camp Bucca, there are no resources to care for them there. They cannot be released to a civilian prosthetic center for urgently needed rehabilitation because they are 'Security Detainees' and only the U.S. Secretary of Defense can authorize their release. Neither can they be returned to their respective countries on humanitarian grounds without the Secretary's authority. So they languish in a field hospital unable to get the care they need to walk again.

Given current events in Iraq and the daily toll of coalition casualties, I don't expect many readers to leap to their cause. But you may wish to look at the photo below. What do you see? Three young men terribly damaged through no fault of their own. They were not involved in fighting, were detained as "Third Country Nationals" and are now held indefinitely as "potential terrorists". This despite the fact that at the time of injury they were working as trustees (a status not afforded to detainees considered serious security risks) and they now have one leg between the three of them.

I began this article writing about the terrible effects of cluster bombs, the need for the international community to examine their utility in modern war and set limitations on them like landmines, napalm and poison gas. I believe their unintended consequences, especially the effects of 'duds' outweigh their usefulness, particularly in populated areas and advocate for an immediate global moratorium on their use.

Strength Of A Nation
However, I want to finish by returning to the three victims of the bomblet in Camp Bucca. Surely they deserve our compassion and help. They should be released now and sent home to their families-each is someone's son. I find it hard to believe if they were "potential terrorists," that they are now. Moreover, there is so much to be gained in the battle for hearts and minds by dealing with them quickly and compassionately, and much to be lost by continued bureaucratic disinterest and inertia.

Sir David Ramsbotham retired from the Army as the Adjutant General and is now Her Majesty's Inspector of Prisons. On his desk is a quote, which may help us consider the fate of these three men

"The mood and temper of the public, in regard to the treatment of crime and criminals, is one of the most unfailing tests of the civilisation of any country. A calm and dispassionate recognition of the rights of the accused against the state and even of convicted criminals against the state, a constant heart-searching by all charged with the duty of punishment, a desire and eagerness to rehabilitate in the world of industry all those who have paid their dues in the hard coinage of punishment, tireless efforts towards the discovery of curative and regenerative processes, and an unfaltering faith that there is a treasure, if you can only find it, in the heart of every man - these are the symbols which, in the treatment of crime and criminals, mark and measure the stored-up strength of a nation, and are sign and proof of the living virtue in it."
- Winston S. Churchill.



Does anyone know if our Secret ary of defense let these dangerous terrorists go?