Post by ironman on May 27, 2005 14:43:44 GMT 1
Inquiry finds Koran 'mishandling'
Alleged abuse of the Koran sparked protests in Muslim countries
The US military says it has identified five incidents in which the Koran was mishandled by American personnel at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.
But the jail commander said they had found no credible evidence that the book had been flushed down a toilet.
The denial follows similar allegations against US guards in a 2002 document made public on Wednesday, in which an FBI agent quoted an inmate.
Newsweek also made the claim, which the magazine was forced to retract.
The Newsweek report sparked protests across the Muslim world, and was blamed for riots in Afghanistan that killed at least 15 people.
The magazine withdrew its story, after saying it could no longer corroborate the report.
The White House rounded on the magazine, saying its report had done "lasting damage" to the US image in the Muslim world.
Deliberate and accidental
Brig Gen Jay Hood said he had found that the Koran had been mishandled on five occasions since late 2001.
Four cases involved guards and one was by an interrogator. The incidents appeared to be deliberate and accidental, he said.
Brig Gen Hood said those involved had not violated the rules they were working to at the time.
The inmate who made the original allegation about the Koran being flushed down the toilet had retracted it, he said.
A Pentagon spokesman characterised the incidents as mainly inadvertent handling of the Muslim holy book.
More than 500 people are being held at Guantanamo Bay, the US naval base on Cuba, suspected of links to the al-Qaeda network.
Some have been detained for more than three years, but have not been charged.
Alleged abuse of the Koran sparked protests in Muslim countries
The US military says it has identified five incidents in which the Koran was mishandled by American personnel at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.
But the jail commander said they had found no credible evidence that the book had been flushed down a toilet.
The denial follows similar allegations against US guards in a 2002 document made public on Wednesday, in which an FBI agent quoted an inmate.
Newsweek also made the claim, which the magazine was forced to retract.
The Newsweek report sparked protests across the Muslim world, and was blamed for riots in Afghanistan that killed at least 15 people.
The magazine withdrew its story, after saying it could no longer corroborate the report.
The White House rounded on the magazine, saying its report had done "lasting damage" to the US image in the Muslim world.
Deliberate and accidental
Brig Gen Jay Hood said he had found that the Koran had been mishandled on five occasions since late 2001.
Four cases involved guards and one was by an interrogator. The incidents appeared to be deliberate and accidental, he said.
Brig Gen Hood said those involved had not violated the rules they were working to at the time.
The inmate who made the original allegation about the Koran being flushed down the toilet had retracted it, he said.
A Pentagon spokesman characterised the incidents as mainly inadvertent handling of the Muslim holy book.
More than 500 people are being held at Guantanamo Bay, the US naval base on Cuba, suspected of links to the al-Qaeda network.
Some have been detained for more than three years, but have not been charged.
