America's North Shore Journal » Entries tagged with "Camp Bucca"
Camp Bucca closes
Previous material here As the last detainee boarded a plane destined for another theater detention center today – September 17 2009, the detainee operations mission at Camp Bucca, Iraq, officially ended. An Air Force C-17 carrying the last group of 180 detainees lifted off from the Basra airport headed to Camp Cropper at 3:22 a.m., officials said. “As a result of the great working relationship between the government of Iraq and Task Force 134, I’m pleased to say the Camp Bucca detention facility is now closed,” said Army Brig. Gen. David Quantock, Joint Task Force 134′s commanding general. “We’ve been working hand in hand with the government of Iraq to coordinate our detainee releases and transfers in accordance with the [U.S.-Iraq] security agreement, and that teamwork has allowed us to close the Bucca … Read entire article »
Filed under: Crime and Punishment, Iraq, War on Terror
Camp Bucca to close in September
The number of detainees in Task Force 134 custody dropped below 9,000 during a detainee transfer between Coalition forces and the Government of Iraq here, Aug. 27. As a result of the 107-person transfer, the detainee population in Iraq stands at 8,947 – the lowest number in U.S. custody since March 2005. In accordance with the Security Agreement, detainee transfers between CF and the GoI must be conducted with arrest warrants or detention orders. If detainees do not have arrest warrants or detention orders, they must be released. “We work very closely with the Iraqi government to ensure releases and transfers are conducted in a safe and orderly manner,†said Capt. Brad Kimberly, Task Force 134 spokesman. “In compliance with the Security Agreement, we transferred these detainees to the GoI after receiving … Read entire article »
Filed under: Crime and Punishment, Iraq, Rebuilding, War on Terror
Our Best: Patty Cake Edition
Senior Airman Tarann Earl plays with an Iraqi child while they wait for transportation to the detainee visitation center Jan. 27 at Camp Bucca, Iraq. Members of the 887th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron provides security and transportation to the center for Iraqis who are allowed to visit daily with detained family members held at the Theater Internment Facility. Airman Earl is assigned to the 887th ESFS. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Angelic Dolan) … Read entire article »
Filed under: Military, Our Best: Military Women
Detained in Iraq: Myths Busted
An Iraqi newspaper reporter recently revealed that most Iraqis believe anyone who is captured by Coalition Forces and sent to Camp Bucca will never be seen again; they are considered dead. Every month approximately 12,000 Iraqi visitors travel from all over the country to Camp Bucca, the quiet forward operating base along the Kuwait border near the port city of Um Qasr, Iraq’s southern most city. In addition to the 12,000 visitors that actually walk through the gates of Camp Bucca, another nearly 500 visits between internees and their families happen every month via video teleconference with the facility in Baghdad, Camp Cropper. The VTC visitation is offered for those families who are unable to make the trip to Um Qasr, but can make it to Baghdad. There … Read entire article »
Filed under: Iraq, War on Terror
Detained in Iraq
More than 10,000 detainees have been released from Coalition detention facilities in Iraq this year, since implementation of programs designed to better prepare detainees for reintegration into society and to reduce recidivism. “A recent innovation is to have a social worker and an Islamic cleric counsel detainees before they go before their first Multi-National Forces Review Committee (MNFRC)”, said Rear Adm. Garland Wright, commander of Task Force 134 Detainee Operations in Baghdad. “Also, last February we started having officers from the Multi-National Corps-Iraq division or capturing unit sit on our MNFRC boards.” MNFRC Boards were instituted last August as part of several agreements Multi-National Force – Iraq has with the Government of Iraq regarding detainee operations. After an individual is detained, his or her case is heard by the MNFRC … Read entire article »
Filed under: Iraq, Rebuilding, War on Terror
Current Detainee Policies In Iraq
Four years ago, Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison was center-stage amid allegations of detainee abuse, and coalition forces suddenly cast as conquerors instead of liberators, losing the trust of the Iraqi people. Conscientious decisions and new detainee programs have helped the coalition turn the corner on the road to regaining that lost trust, Multinational Force Iraq’s commander of detainee operations said yesterday in a Baghdad news conference. “Today, we are still trying to regain that trust, and I want to tell you once again there was no justification for what happened at Abu Ghraib,†Army Maj. Gen. Douglas Stone told reporters. “True apologies, though, must be followed by actions which right the initial wrong, and over the past year, we have made great efforts to correct our past mistakes.†A multifaceted approach, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Iraq, Rebuilding, War on Terror
Running a City in Southern Iraq
Sewers, water, electricity, trash and fuel are services vital to any city in the United States, and urban populations simply cannot function effectively without proper city management oversight. Approximately 30 members of Oklahoma’s 1st Battalion, 160th Field Artillery, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team face these same challenges in the middle of a desert in southern Iraq. The Guard members manage a facility with a population of more than 26,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, contractors, Department of Defense civilians and detainees at Camp Bucca, Iraq. The camp sits starkly in the middle of the desert — all commodities and goods must be trucked into the desolate base camp. “We are running a city,” said 160th Rear Area Operations Center commander, Lt. Col. David Jordan, of Midwest City. Many of Oklahoma’s 45th soldiers … Read entire article »
Filed under: Iraq, Rebuilding, War on Terror
Detainees:Educational, Vocational and Religious Programs
MNF-I Multi-National Force – Iraq provides multiple opportunities for more than 24,000 detainees in its care and custody to participate in educational, vocational and religious programs while detained in Theater Internment Facilities (TIF) here. Upon arrival to a TIF, detainees are evaluated to determine their education and training levels, work experience and work interests, and religious alignment. The evaluation provides a better understanding of the individuals in detention and their potential for inclusion in detainee … Read entire article »
Filed under: Iraq, Rebuilding, War on Terror
A Terrorist Graduation – The Good Kind
MNF-I Approximately 60 detainees graduated during an afternoon ceremony Dec. 12 at Camp Bucca’s Hasty School Complex. The detainee students spent seven weeks studying Arabic, English, math, science, geography and civics at a first to third-grade level. Lt. Col. Andrew Wichers, 391st Military Police Battalion commander, Col. Jim Brown, Task Force Bucca commander; and Sheik Abdul Sattar, Bucca cleric and program designer, were keynote speakers. “This is a great day for Iraq,†Brown said. “You will be able to leave here with a graduation certificate and you will know that your time here at Bucca was productive for your future and the future of Iraq.†The Hasty School Complex is part of a Task Force 134 program designed to educate detainees in order to help them obtain the tools necessary to continue their education upon … Read entire article »
Filed under: Iraq, Rebuilding, War on Terror
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