Army Questionnaire: Questions for the Interrogators of Forward Operating Base Salerno concerning their observations and experience in dealing with detainees, training before deployment and Rules of Engagement. The questionnaire appears to be in response to the accusations of detainee abuse and an effort to elicit information on the matter.
CJTF180-IG 28 February 2004
MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD
SUBJECT: Interview of Interrogators TF 1-501, FB Salerno 28 Feb 04
1.
The CJTF180 IG interviewed 3 interrogators from TF 1-501 and asked these questions
2.
Q: Do you have a unit SOPs to take, handle, and care for/detainees UCs. 4b6-J
A: The interrogators helped to develop the SOP that SSG the TF 1-501
Detention Facility NCOIC created. The SOP is at the Detention Facility. The
interrogators have typed up a couple of documents.
3. Yes No X N/A Q: Does the CITF180 commander know that War crimes, including mistreatment of enemy prisoners of war, violations of the Geneva Conventions, and atrocities are a Category 1 Serious Incident Report? AR 190-40 Appendix B1 B-lb.
A: The interrogators knew that mistreatment of a detainee was an SIR. They did no_t know whether it was a category 1, 2, or 3 SIR without referring to AR 180-40.
4. Yes X No N/A . Q: Did the unit commander plan and execute level B law-of-war training (Level B training is conducted in units for officers, warrant officers, NCOs and enlisted personnel commensurate with the missions of the unit).based on the current missions and contingency plans (including anticipated geographical areas of deployment or rules of engagement)? AR 350-1 para 4-14c.(2) and table G-1 Refresher training, dated 9 April 2003
A: A Mobile Training Team (MTT) from Fort Huachuca came to Fort Drum and trained the interrogators prior to them deploying to Afghanistan. One of the interrogators graduated from the Counter. Intelligence school in April 2003 and said that law of war was stressed at Fort Huachuca. There were also classes given on ROE and law of war prior to deploying by the unit.
5. Q: Where do you maintain your training records?
A: Training records are maintained by.the unit but accessible on SIPRNET.
6. What do you use to track and account for captured personnel?
A: The same spreadsheet used by the Detention Facility NCOIC and detainee tracking chart at the Detention Facility.
7. Q: If a detained person refuses to answer your questioning can you? Can you threaten the Detainee?
A: What do you mean by threaten?
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CJTF180-IG SUBJECT: Interview of Interrogators TF 1-501, FB Salerno
8. Q: Can you threaten detainees with bodily harm?
A: No
9. Q: Can you use mental coercion.
A: What do you mean by coercion?
10. Q: Can you threaten to take them on a helicopter ride if a detainee refuses to answer your questions?
A: No, the Russians used to take Mujaheddin on a helicopter and pitch one of them out and then interrogate the rest of their captives. The interrogators can lead them to believe that they will go to Guantanamo Bay if they don't cooperate. They can also tell them that they are making their families worried about them.
11. Q: Can you insult the Detainee?
A: No, no one insults the PUC's person, nor makes a practice of insulting a PUC.. Interrogators can use the Pride and Ego Down method and insult their skills. For example they can tell them that they were a poor Taliban since they were caught.
12. Q: Has anyone ever witnessed anyone murder anyone?
A: No
-13. Q: Have you ever seen anyone torture or beat anyone?
A: No
14. Q: Have you ever seen anyone deprive a PUC of their 5 senses?
A: Yes, goggles are used for transport of detainees. Interrogators do not use goggles for punishment and earmuffs are not used at all. There may be one set of earmuffs on hand.
15. Has anyone seen anyone cruelly treat or degrade a PUC?
A: No
16. Q: How do you treat PUCs or detainees? Good/Fair/Poor?
A: Unanimously stated that they treated detainees Good
17. Q: How do you protect a detainee from public curiosity? AR 190-8 para 1-5(4)(c)
A: Transport detainee in the back of a covered LMTV or Hard Cargo HMMWV (with an arctic cover). Also only the Tactical Humint Team and chain of command are permitted to enter the Detention Facility. Everyone else has to be escorted or approved by the S2.
18. Q: Does your SOP cover the 5 S's? Search, Silence, Segregate, Safeguard, and Speed to the rear?
A: Yes in the SOP that SSG leveloped.
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CJTF180-IG
SUBJECT: Interview of Interrogators TF 1-501, FB Salerno
19. Q: Do soldiers know that photographing, filming, and videotaping of individual
EPW, CI, and RP for other than internal Internment Facility administration or
.
intelligence/counterintelligence purposes is strictly prohibited?
AR 190-8 para 1-5(4)(d) -
A: Yes
20. Q: Has anyone ever taken a picture of a detainee or do you know of anyone who has
taken a photograph of a detainee?
A: Only for intelligence purposes
21. Q: Do you know the Rules of Engagement for an escaping prisoner? If EPW/RP
attempt to escape, the guard will shout "halt" three times, thereafter the guard will use the
least amount of force necessary to halt the EPW/RP. If there is no other effective means
of preventing escape and that in an attempted escape from a fenced enclosure, a prisoner
will not be fired at unless he/she has cleared the outside fence and is making further effort
to escape deadly force may be used. AR 190-8 para 3-6f.(2)
A: Yell stop or halt and then use escalated force. The detainees are extremely docile and
do not try to escape.
22. Q: Do you have a copy of FM 34-42?
A: Have an electronic copy.
-23. Q: Do you use a Safety Position?
A: What is a safety position? Do not use it. Have detainees sit in a chair and then if they
are uncooperative have them stand for an hour.
24. Q: Do you use the Fear Up Position?
A: Do you mean Fear Up Approach? Yes, we insinuate things to make them concerned that they may go to GITMO or won't see their family.
25. Q: How long can you interrogate someone?
A: Normally we don't go beyond 2 hours. There was one time when the individual talked for 6 hours and we took notes, but it wasn't under duress. Usually our interpreters and interrogators get tired well before then and it is counter-productive.
26. Q: Does your SOP allow mild physical contact?
A: Physical contact is not permitted beyond escorting the prisoner. Do not make any physical contact when interrogating the detainee. .
27. Q: During the first 24 hours how much sleep and food do you let a detainee have?
A: 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep and 3 meals a day. The detainees usually want foot bread and water but we give them the Halal meal, which is more nutritional.
28. Q: What is the shortest and longest duration that you have kept a detainee?
A: Overnight to one week.
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CJTF180-IG SUBJECT: Interview of Interrogators TF 1-501, FB Salerno
29. Q: How do you flexicuff a detainee?
A: We use 3 flexicuffs one on each wrist and the third to connect those. So when the detainee has to use the bathroom we cut the middle flexicuff with pliers.
30. Q: Do you chain or tie a detainee to any object?
A: No
31. Q: Do you have any files from previous interrogators?
A: No, we are the first interrogators. Only battalions have been here prior to us.
32. Q: Do you have biometrics capability here?
A: Yes, but, it doesn't work. It worked at home station but after we got it out of the connex it wouldn't work.
33. Q: How many detainees have you had?
A: At least 50 with 4 PUCs.
34. Q: Do you allow OGA (Other government agencies such as CIA or FBI) to use their TTPs when they interrogate in our facility?
A: No, further an Army interrogator is present during all interrogations.
35. Q: Do you allow AMF to watch detainees.
A: Only with a soldier present during joint operations. However, AMF are not allowed in our detention facility.
34.
Q: Do you have any issues that you want us to bring forward? Issues: We need a larger facility to handle. Low-level enemy combatants. Detainees know our TTP now and that we can't keep them beyond 72 hours. . We had a detainee that told us that he knew that we couldn't keep him past 72 hours so he wasn't going to say anything.
35.
Comments:
1.
Medics look at the detainees almost every other day.
2.
Before we interrogate any detainee, we ask them how they are feeling.
3.
We sometimes interrogate the detainees at Firebase Chapman because of a shortage of interrogators
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