American Techniques of War and Iraqi Civilians

Lacking intelligence regarding the budding Iraqi insurgency, the United States and its allies began rounding up suspects for interrogation in the summer of 2003. Those men rounded up often were taken from their homes with minimal provocation, sometimes as little as simply possessing a cd with Saddam Hussein's face on it. Families were torn apart based on flimsy evidence. This is widely considered to be the crudest form of intelligence gathering a nation can engage, demeaning and cruel to boot. Many American soldiers and officers would question and balk at the things they were called to do, most however, did not. Some American military personnel, such as Charles Graner and Lynndie England, would engage in some of the most notorious instances of prisoner abuse in the history of the United States. Tens of thousands Iraqi civilians would pass through the gates of Abu Ghraib, often to later be released with no charges ever brought before them. Even General Odierno's 4th Infantry Division, widely considered one of the more abusive units, would estimate that at least three quarters of suspected insurgents they imprisoned were in fact innocent. This method of suppression and intelligence gathering proved to be counter-productive.