The Army general who investigated the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by the US military testified today that he never found any orders to soldiers directing them to use abusive techniques on inmates.
At a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, West Virginia Democratic Senator Robert Byrd, questioning Major General Antonio Taguba, said the abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison was not just about guards and interrogators lacking in personal values, but "about policies and planning" from a higher level.
Mr Byrd asked Maj Gen Taguba, "Who gave the order to soften up these prisoners, to 'give them the treatment?' Was this policy? Who approved it?"
"I did not find any evidence of a policy or a direct order given to these soldiers to conduct what they did," Maj Gen Taguba replied.
"I believe that they did it on their own volition. I believe that they collaborated with several MI (military intelligence) interrogators at the lower level, based on the conveyance of that information through interviews and written statements," Maj Gen Taguba said.