CIA Waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed 183 Times In One Month

FireDogLake:

I've put this detail in a series of posts, but it really deserves a full post. According to the May 30, 2005 Bradbury memo, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times in March 2003 and Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded 83 times in August 2002.

Read the whole story: FireDogLake

Comments

[Reality Czech]

KSM is not a human - he is a monster - so waterboarding him is not torture.

[orwell2112]

Sept. 11 mastermind was waterboarded 183 times to remove head lice, say former Bush administration officials

Sept. 11 mastermind was waterboarded 183 times in delousing effort, say former Bush administration officials

WASHINGTON – Responding to Justice Department memos declassified by the Obama administration last week, former Bush administration officials claim that CIA agents who repeatedly waterboarded Sept. 11 planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were not bent on torture but simply treating a raging case of head lice and dandruff ...

[Noticer]

They say they waterboarded KSM 183 times, which is nearly the same as the 184 victims of 9/11 at the Pentagon. Maybe someone at the CIA wanted KSM to experience his own death once for each of that particular group of his victims, but didn't quite make it to 184?

[DonCosenza]

If so, someone at the CIA can't count, because there were 125 fatalities from the Pentagon 9/11 attacks.

[HeevenSteven]

Note to CIA: If the subject has gills, use another method.

[LeftLeanWing]

Was Timothy McVeigh waterboarded ?_________­__________­____

[gerontion72]

As MSNBC reported months ago, 25% of the 911 Commission Report footnotes are based on tortured testimony. How can we know with any certainty that these details are correct?

[Ergon]

Well that makes KSM's 9/11 'confession' thoroughly suspect, doesn't it?

[loveobamas]

This boggles the mind. That Americans could repeatedly force someone to submit to simulated drowning, for whatever supposedly worthy goal, mocks our beliefs and values. There can be no defense for putting a human being into such a near-constant state of pain and fear, for a country that calls itself free. The agents must also be punished, its now abundantly clear. Perhaps he did give up what small bit of information he had after a few sessions, but when the extracted information became contradictory (as it surely must have, given the decision to repeat the torture so many times), the agents should have seen the tactic wasn’t working, and stopped using it.

183 times in a month looks more like retribution than intelligen­ce-gatheri­ng.

[bsween]

IF IT SAVED ONE LIFE IT IS WORTH IT THESE PEOPLE DECLARED WAR ON US

[citizensrus]

This will cost U.S. more live than it saved. I doubt it saved even one life. I doubt the information can be considered valuable having been obtained under the duress of torture.
A thorough investigation using first and foremost the physical evidence of 9/11 needs to be conducted, and that leads us to Saudi Arabia.
Beyond that, we have made more enemies because of Bush's response to 9/11. Perhaps lifelong enemies.

[JenIA]

Can anyone convince Boss Limbaugh to be waterboarded? He slaps himself and calls that torture, let's see him get waterboarded and see if he calls that having a good time. Rushie would likely have a heart attack after one time...wha­t a bummer that would be... ;-)

[iSeeDumbPeople]

Is assault of another human being illegal or not? But even beyond that, it's the twisted degree this sadistic, perverted nature of what has been done in our name that takes one's breath away.

[LB14]

“We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” -- George Orwell

releases these information was a mistake. There are certain things that the American public, and world public, need not know imho. I am glad that there are people willing to do whatever needs to be done to keep my family and fellow countrymen safe.

[aristippe]

sheep

[LB14]

LOL what?

LOUD NOISES!!!

[kmich718]

So when other countries do that to our troops, DO NOT COMPLAIN! When our service men and women are subjected to torture because the government of what ever country they're in deems them to be harmful to their state...

P.S. - Proof exists that torture does NOT work! Does not make us safer.

Ever had someone threaten or carry out a harmful deed on you? Did you back down, run away or defend yourself?

We need to prosecute those who specifically went against everything our country stands for.

[LB14]

I dont stand for torture either. People love throwing the term "torture" around...d­ont know if waterboarding would fall into that category

If water boarding is so dangerous and such a dreadful act, why are our special forces, pilots and many others water boarded during training?

We now know from Brian Ross’ investigation that the two highest ranking Al Qaeda were water boarded and they gave up information that interrupted “dozens of plots” and that it saved lives; perhaps thousands of lives. One Jihadist folded and blabbed everything he knew under torture, perhaps saving thousands of American lives. Was he tortured or suffering from aggressive interrogation?

I find the argument that we will “become our enemy” by the simple fact of trying to save lives by water boarding terrorists; to be simplistic and actually quite a hideous thing to say. Maybe you should refresh your knowledge about the methods used by Muhammed and other members of Al Qaeda.

but anyway, the bottom line is that I care more about the lives of my family and fellow countrymen than if Muhammed is comfortable or not in his interrogation. After 9/11 people were very concerned about other impending attacks, and we know now that there were other attacks planned.

as far as Muhammed, he is alive and healthy right now. Daniel Pearl and the victims of his terrorist attacks are not so lucky.

[Aaron Gaudio]

"There are of course those who do not want us to speak. ... Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense." -- V for Vendetta

[LB14]

good book/movie imo

since you liked that one, I recommend Orwell's "1984" as well

btw, "Aaron Gaudio", have you spent much time outside of the US? ....just curious

[brooklyncitizen]

One of the fall outs from a society that tortures are that the torturers are re-integrated into society at large. Possibly into law enforcement or other types of contracted militia work (Blackwater). THe torturers that are created don't go away...the culture of torture and abuse is then turned against the populace. We see this in the many police abuse cases that have surged. The torturer is not named or prosecuted, he is free to live among us.

[aristippe]

Why would the C.I.A. bother to use these techniques if they believed that they didn't work.

[BlueStateMan]

Sadism.

[aristippe]

that's unlikely

[LB14]

how many times did Mohammed waterboard Daniel Pearl?

or the victims of 9/11?

how can you measure how many more Daniel Pearl tragedies were prevented, and if other terrorist attacks were prevented from the information gained through this waterboarding technique?

I cant believe so many people are up and arms about protecting the rights of this monster. Some could say that Muhhamed got off easy with the waterboarding. What do you think other countries would have done? The guy is still alive and healthy for chrisssake.

[stargazer13]

the jury is still out on David I saw that pic and there is some thing wrong about that pic with him and all those guys standing in the back ground

call it a gut feeling

[BlueStateMan]

Actually, Ahmed Omar Sheikh was the one who beheaded Daniel Pearl... but don't let pesky things like FACTS get in the way of your mindless screeds.

[stargazer13]

mindless screeds

go back and look at that pic .

[LB14]

you clearly dont know much about that situation "Bluestateman"

anyway, continue with your defense of that monster

[brooklyncitizen]

Here's a thought:

If you want to prevent more Daniel Pearl tragedies don't set up military bases in Saudi Arabia; don't illegally invade a sovereign nation; don't continue sanctioning the violence and apartheid against the Palestinians by the Israeli govt, don't keep waging a religious war and marginalizing Islamic countries, don't engineer coups in democratically elected Muslim countries and replace govt with despotic leader hated by the people (Shah of Iran in 1950's)...­.etc.In short stop trying to dominate sovereign nations...­they don't appreciate it.

BTW Islam was spear heading Math and Science and Literature when Europeans were still clubbing each other.

[LB14]

yes everything is the fault of the US...absol­utely EVERYTHING [/sarcasm]

[LB14]

btw, there are millions of Persians and Arabs living in the US in peace and prosperity­....every race, color, creed, religion and culture is welcome here....th­e same is not true for the backwards Islamic extremists regimes in that region of the world

You are correct about math and science and literature being spearheaded by Islam in that region long ago...but these days many in that region are too interested in isolating themselves from the rest of the world to "spear head" anything recently, except for hatred.

[citizensrus]

Revenge is not a justification for torture. If it were, we could throw out all law.

[LB14]

"The Central Intelligence Agency told CNSNews.com today that it stands by the assertion made in a May 30, 2005 Justice Department memo that the use of "enhanced techniques" of interrogation on al Qaeda leader Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM) -- including the use of waterboarding -- caused KSM to reveal information that allowed the U.S. government to thwart a planned attack on Los Angeles.".

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=46949

[DonCosenza]

So our values should be only as high as the lowest common denominator of our enemies?

I supposed collective punishment is on the list of acceptable things too, since Daniel Pearl was killed by Pakistanis, not KSM. But we're talking about war and terror here right, why not paint it all with a broad brush?

I am not opposed to torturing such people as KSM to protect him. I am opposed to torture in order to protect us from ourselves. It debases those who conduct it, and it brings shame upon those of us who stand by complicitly and allow people to do these acts in our name.

I am not opposed to torture in order to prevent our enemies from torture. Some enemies will commit atrocities no matter what we do. That does not justify us committing atrocities, though.

If we are a society that requires barbarism in order to combat barbarians­... then we don't deserve to exist.

[repugnicansfearme]

Gee, I would have hated to pay the dry cleaning bills of all those brave, dedicated, honorable CIA agents who handled the waterboarding. Must have been quite a chore. But, Cheney said the gloves were coming off. I wonder if waterpolo prepared the Ivy League CIA agents for waterboarding, old chum?

[maxdenn]

Individuals who condone or do torture are sadists. Sickos.

[LB14]

waterboarding could be called "torture" i guess

but I dont condone the murder of 3000 of my fellow countrymen or the beheading of Daniel Pearl

[stargazer13]

nobody here condones murder !!!! well almost nobody !!!

[DonCosenza]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dilemma

Is it not possible for the same person to not condone both?

[LB14]

actually, I dont know if I would call waterboarding "torture" because the intention was to gain information in an attempt to prevent any further attacks...­.not just to "punish" that monster

[humuhumunukunukuapuaa]

Very effective way to gather intel indeed. It only took 183 times, presumably.

You confuse sadism with justice.

[DonCosenza]

So, as long as your intention is to gain information it's okay? If we started pulling fingernails out, or crushing testicles, that would be acceptable, as long as it was to extract information?

[ohiomark]

I'm sure the people who were burned to death in the WTC would feel the same way about the "sickos" who tortured them.

[stargazer13]

you assume much today

[DonCosenza]

Unlike you, I don't presume to speak for victims of 9/11 (alive or dead). However, I will agree that those perpetrators were sickos too, and ought to be brought to justice.

Justice... not vengeance.