Camp Bucca
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Camp Bucca is the name of a holding facility for prisoners of war maintained by the United States military in the vicinity of Umm Qasr. It is named after Ronald Bucca, a soldier with the 800th Military Police Brigade and NYC Fire Marshal who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
According to the Taguba report, the Camp Bucca facility is "significantly over [its] intended maximum capacity while the guard force is undermanned and under resourced". The report describes the following "incident of detainee abuse" at Camp Bucca, on May 12, 2003.
- Soldiers from the 223rd MP Company reported to the 800th MP Brigade Command at Camp Bucca, that four Military Police Soldiers from the 320th MP Battalion had abused a number of detainees during inprocessing at Camp Bucca. An extensive CID investigation determined that four soldiers from the 320th MP Battalion had kicked and beaten these detainees following a transport mission from Talil Air Base.
After the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal, many detainees from Abu Ghraib were transferred to Camp Bucca. After a substantial turn-over in the chain of command at Camp Bucca and substantial amendments to camp policy, the US military held up Camp Bucca as an example of how a model detention facility should be run [1]. Detainees are now reportedly housed in huts rather than tents, organize and administer their own classes in subjects like literacy and religion, and compete in soccer matches. Cigarettes, tea, and the opportunity to listen to radio programs are used as incentives for good behavior.
[edit] Significant Events
On May 18, 2003, U.S. military forces mistakenly released Mohammed Jawad An-Neifus from the Camp Bucca. An-Neifus is suspected of being involved in the mass murder of thousands of Iraqi Shias whose remains were later found at a mass gravesite in the southern city of al-Mahawil. [2]
On January 7, 2004, a detainee escaped from Camp Bucca. Investigating officers concluded that 'the detainee escaped through an undetected weakness in the wire. Contributing factors were inexperienced guards, lapses in accountability, complacency, lack of leadership presence, poor visibility, and lack of clear and concise communication between the guards and the leadership.'
On January 12, 2004, 7 Detainees escaped during the night, 5 were recaptured.
On January 26, 2004 3 detainees escaped at night during a period of intense fog. An investigation 'concluded that the detainees crawled under a fence when visibility was only 10-15 meters due to fog'. [3]
On October 19, 2004, A 26-year-old security internee died of unknown causes. [4]
On January 5, 2005, A 31-year-old security internee died of what appears to be natural causes. [5]
On January 24, 2005, Sgt. Leonard W. Adams assigned to the 105th MP Battalion at Camp Bucca dies of a heart attack.
On January 31, 2005, a riot broke out in which detainees threw rocks and fashioned weapons out of tent poles. The riot was dispelled by the use of lethal force. Four detainees were killed and six were injured. As is standard procedure in all cases of prison riots and the use of lethal force, the matter is under investigation by the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigations Division. No soldiers were found guilty of any wrongdoing during the incident.
On February 5, 2005, the tabloid paper New York Daily News reported that NCOs of the 160th MP Battalion organized and held a mud wrestling party on October 30, 2004. The party was also attending by members of the incoming 105th MP Battalion, who were arriving to relieve the members of the 160th. At least three female GIs stripped to their undergarments and wrestled in a kiddie-pool full of mud in front of a crowd of male GIs, and another GI flashed her breasts. About 30 photos of the party, including one of the flasher have been leaked to the press. The flasher, 19-year-old PFC Deanna Allen was demoted for indecent exposure, but it is unknown what other disciplinary measures have been taken against participants in the party. Although press interviews with soldiers indicate there was alcohol at the party, the Army has denied the involvement of alcohol.
On March 25, 2005, a complete escape tunnel was discovered, though no prisoners had yet managed to escape [6].
On April 1, 2005, 2 Iraqis and four US prison guards were wounded in a riot at Camp Bucca near the southern town of Umm Qasr. [7]
On April 15, 2005, A dispute broke out between two groups of detainees at one of the compounds of the Camp Bucca theater internment facility at approximately 11 p.m. The fight left one detainee dead. The fight was confined between the detainees in one compound and was not directed at U.S. forces. [8]
On April 16, 2005, 11 detainees escaped Camp Bucca by cutting through in the facilities exterior fence and crawling through the unfilled portion of a previously discovered 600-foot escape tunnel[9]. All 11 detainees were later captured by the Iraqi police and returned to Camp Bucca.
On April 19, 2005, A 51-year-old male security detainee at Camp Bucca died of what appears to be natural causes.[10]
On May 14, 2005, A 30-year-old male detainee at Camp Bucca died from an apparent heart attack.[11]
On May 23, 2005, A fuel truck collapsed the roof of an escape tunnel being dug out of Camp Bucca.
On July 27, 2005, A 30-year-old male security detainee at Camp Bucca died as a result of renal failure and other organ failure due to chronic malaria.[12]
On September 28, 2005, Sgt. Steve Morin Jr. assigned to the 111th Engineer Battalion and Air Force Airman 1st Class Elizabeth N. Jacobson assigned to the 17th Security Forces Squadron stationed at Camp Bucca were killed in action when an improvised explosive device detonated near their convoy vehicle near the Iraqi town of Safwan.
On October 5, 2005, A 43-year-old male security detainee died of an apparent heart attack.[13]
On October 13, 2005, Eligible detainees at Camp Bucca, Abu Ghraib prison and Camp Cropper are allowed to vote in the Iraqi Constitutional Referendum. The rest of the country voted on October 15, 2005. [14]
On October 23, 2005, A 73-year-old male security detainee died of natural causes at Camp Bucca.[15]
On October 25, 2005, Spc. Christopher T. Monroe assigned to the 785th Military Police Battalion stationed at Camp Bucca is killed when his 5-ton truck is involved in an automobile accident with a civilian vehicle in the vicinity of Basra, Iraq.
On November 5, 2005, A 65-year-old male security detainee died of natural causes at Camp Bucca.[16]
On December 12, 2005, Nearly 90 percent of all eligible security detainees in Multi-National Forces-Iraq Theater Internment Facilities participated in the democratic vote on the Iraqi National Ballot.[17]
On January 1, 2006, 3 detainees escaped Camp Bucca by cutting through the facilities exterior fence. Two of the detainees were later captured by the Iraqi police and returned to Camp Bucca.
On March 7, 2006, A 36 year-old detainee died of natural causes.[18]
On March 26, 2006, A 25 year-old detainee died as the result of injuries suffered in a detainee on detainee fight.[19]
On June 2, 2006, The Army opened a Iraqi-based detention center training facility at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri called Camp Charlie. [20] This new facility is modeled after the theater internment facility at Camp Bucca. A similar facility was opened at Fort Leavenworth in August 2006. [21]
On July 1, 2006, Airman 1st Class Carl Jerome Ware Jr. of the 886th Expeditionary Security Force Squadron assigned to Camp Bucca died of non-combat related injuries. The cause of death is under investigation, but one media source reports that the airmen was killed in an accidental shooting. [22]
In July 2006, it was announced that the Army's inspector general had requested an investigation to determine if an Antideficiency Act violation occurred during the building of the detention facility. [23] The Anti Deficiency Act provides that no one can obligate the Government to make payments for which money has not already been authorized. [24]
On October 12, 2006, an Iraqi detainee died from an apparent heart attack. The detainee had been hospitalized since October 5th after complaining of chest pains. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. [25] [26]
On October 16, two airmen from the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Area Security Operations team assigned to Camp Bucca suffered injuries when an improvised explosive device exploded near their Humvee in the vicinity of Safwan. Both airmen survived the attack and were later awarded the Purple Heart medal. [27]
On October 19, 2006, an Iraqi detainee died from what appears to be natural causes. [28]
On November 25, 2006, American forces announced that a detainee died of "what appears to be natural causes". The detainee had been hospitalized since November 23 after complaining of chest pains.[29]
On December 4, 2006, American forces announced that a detainee died of natural causes.[30] The detainee had been treated in the facilities hospital since November 17, 2006 for kidney and heart problems. Including two detainees that died the previous week at Camp Cropper [31], this was the fourth detainee in coalition custody to die within a two week period.
