At least 108 people have died in U.S. custody in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars

AP - TheDay.com: "Mar 16, 2:16 PM EST | More Than 100 Die in U.S. Custody in Iraq | By JOHN J. LUMPKIN | Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- At least 108 people have died in U.S. custody in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and roughly a quarter of the cases have been investigated as possible U.S. abuse, according to government data provided to The Associated Press.

The figure, far higher than any previously disclosed, includes cases investigated by the Army, Navy, Central Intelligence Agency and Justice Department. Some 65,000 prisoners have been taken during the U.S.-led wars, most later freed.

The Pentagon has never provided comprehensive information on how many prisoners taken during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have died. The 108 figure, based on information supplied by Army, Navy and other government officials, includes deaths attributed to natural causes.

To human rights groups, the deaths form a clear pattern.



'Despite the military's own reports of deaths and abuses of detainees in U.S. custody, it is astonishing that our government can still pretend that what is happening is the work of a few rogue soldiers,' said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. 'No one at the highest levels of our government has yet been held accountable for the torture and abuse, and that is unacceptable.'"