Why do we Ship al-Qaida Suspects to Other Countries?

Rice has all-but-acknowledged that the U.S. practices "extraordinary rendition." Of course she adds, carefully, that the "does not condone torture."   But as read T.M. points out:

The obvious question is, if they don't send them off to be tortured, then why do they render them at all? Other guys we won't let out of our sight for a second, but we ship these folks around the globe for, what, convenience?

T.M. ain't just poking around in the dark here. From ABC News:

Sources also tell ABC News that U.S. intelligence also ships some "unlawful combatants" to countries that use interrogation techniques harsher than any authorized for use by U.S. intelligence officers. They say that Jordan, Syria, Morocco and Egypt were among the nations used in order to extract confessions quickly using techniques harsher than those authorized for use by U.S. intelligence officers. These prisoners were not necessarily citizens of those nations.

The evidence goes all the way back to December 2002, when the Washington Post--under a sissy headline--unveiled the practice of rendition. "We don't kick the [expletive] out of them," said one official involved in the process. "We send them to other countries so they can kick the [expletive] out of them."

There's still plenty of mystery about the program. The U.S. clearly holds the tippy top al-Qaida suspects. Low-level guys get garrisoned at Gitmo.  So who gets a ticket to Syria and other fine locales, and why?

(My guess: Considering the number of secret CIA flights--400-plus in Germany alone--as well as what I've heard from lawyers of detainees, the whole detention system is very fluid. Suspects often go through  each part of the system. One lawyer I talked to said  her client was first picked up by CIA agents, then rendered to a third-country, then sent to Gitmo, then sent home...where by the way, he's still being held without charges.)

Comments

[68HC11]

Other guys we won't let out of our sight for a second, but we ship these folks around the globe for, what, convenience?

Ofcourse not, they are send on a holiday people! The (well timed) ABC leak already lifted a bit of the veil. It mentioned how cooperative prisoners get sweets and decent food. This was new, until now newspapers (apprantly incorectly?) reported that this "debrieving process" sometimes started with a german guy named harry buttle and sometimes ended with a guy chained to the ground, naked and frozen to death after being left alone for the night, in Afghanistan. Not much was understood of the process but it was often claimed to produce something refered to as "intelligence", or so the papers claimed.

But now, instead of rumours of waterboarding uncoperative people, ABC explained what happened to people who are cooperative, they get to eat kitkats just like saddam! (need more proof of the al-qaida link?)

With this new revelation the holiday in egypt scenario sounds a lot more probable doesn`t it? Thanks ABC!

Also: I really understand why ABC wont reavel the names of the cooperative countries. ABC mentioned only the famous people inside this system, and like all famous people who fly around in private jets, these people need their privacy! (Though thanks for including a list of these lucky few who get to call themselfs the famous twelve in the group three dozen or so, including a confirmation of Poland as their former holiday destination)