Pentagon Bans Troops’ Cameraphones

The Business, a British newspaper, reported a news story based on a Pentagon officer who wished to remain anonymous. The officer said that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld banned the U.S. soldiers’ use of mobile phones with cameras. According to the Paper, the Pentagon believes that some of the Abu Gharib torture photos were shot with cameraphones. The statement from the Pentagon official said, "Digital cameras and cameraphones are banned from military facilities in Iraq."

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported in its Sunday edition that U.S. Coalition Forces Commander Gen. Richardo Sanchez knew about the tortures at Abu Ghraib Prison. The U.S. Armed Forces denied the claim; however, question marks still remain.

A news report on the Washington Post’s website says that Captain Robert Shuck, the lawyer of one of the soldiers accused of torture, alleges that a soldier on duty at Abu Gharib told him that Sanchez was present when some of the tortures at the prison took place. According to the news based on tape recordings of a court martial trial, Shuck said that an American sergeant is also ready to testify that military officials ordered the torture.

On the contrary, U.S. military officials denied the news published in the Post. A statement from U.S. military officials says that Sanchez stands by the statement he made before the Congressional investigation committee that he has no information about the torture.