Fears Of Backlash As US To Release CIA Torture Report

Fears Of Backlash As US To Release CIA Torture Report

FPJ BureauUpdated: Saturday, June 01, 2019, 05:56 AM IST
article-image

Washingto : American embassies were on heightened alert on Tuesday amid fears of a backlash to a long-delayed US Senate report into the CIA’s brutal interrogation of Al-Qaeda suspects after the 2001 attacks, reports AFP. White House officials confirmed they expect the report to be published, even though US Secretary of State John Kerry warned late last week about the impact it could have around the world.

While heavily redacted, the report is expected to be a damning indictment of a secret program under the administration of former president George W Bush to question dozens of terror detainees.
Since coming to office in 2009, President Barack Obama has sought to distance the United States from past deeds and outlawed harsh interrogation techniques which he has denounced as “torture.” “We have heard from the committee that they do intend to release the report tomorrow,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. “Prudent steps” had been taken to boost security at US facilities and diplomatic missions abroad in case the report triggers a wave of fury, he added.
The report is understood to cover the treatment of around 100 terror suspects rounded up by US operatives between 2001 and 2009, after the September 11, 2001 attacks by Al-Qaeda which destroyed the World Trade Center in New York and damaged the Pentagon.
The suspects were subjected to waterboarding, stress positions and other harsh methods, in a series of interrogations either at CIA-run secret prisons or the Guantanamo Bay US military base in Cuba. US media said the report is also expected to reveal that the CIA misled the White House about the details and success of the program.
“We tortured some folks,” Obama said in August, talking about the contents of the report.
The CIA’s defenders insist the methods saved American lives by helping to uncover Al-Qaeda’s network, while critics say they ran contrary to US values and hardened anti-American attitudes.

RECENT STORIES

Paris Viral Video: High Voltage Drama At Charles de Gaulle Airport As Migrants Protest Against...

Paris Viral Video: High Voltage Drama At Charles de Gaulle Airport As Migrants Protest Against...

Pakistan Horror: Man Strangulates Sister To Death In Family's Presence; Shocking Crime...

Pakistan Horror: Man Strangulates Sister To Death In Family's Presence; Shocking Crime...

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Racist Posts Target Indian Crew On Social Media Following Collision

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Racist Posts Target Indian Crew On Social Media Following Collision

'Undoubtedly Saved Lives': US Prez Joe Biden Lauds Quick Action By Indian Crew Members In Baltimore...

'Undoubtedly Saved Lives': US Prez Joe Biden Lauds Quick Action By Indian Crew Members In Baltimore...

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: 6 Missing Presumed Dead, Says Maryland State Police; Rescue Ops Underway

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: 6 Missing Presumed Dead, Says Maryland State Police; Rescue Ops Underway