Winning Their Hearts and Minds
Apparently the US Army in Iraq is now resorting to kidnapping civilians and using the implied threat of violence against them to capture Iraqi suspects. Is this flagrant violation of Iraqi civilians’ human rights a sign of desperation, or of malice?
Col. David Hogg, commander of the 2nd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, said tougher methods are being used to gather the intelligence. On Wednesday night, he said, his troops picked up the wife and daughter of an Iraqi lieutenant general. They left a note: “If you want your family released, turn yourself in.” Such tactics are justified, he said, because, “It’s an intelligence operation with detainees, and these people have info.” They would have been released in due course, he added later.