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Taguba Report Annex 54: Testimony of Lieutenant Colonel Leigh A. Coulter, Commander, 724th Military Police Battalion

Feb. 14, 2004 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 262
Testimony of Lieutenant Colonel Leigh A. Coulter, Commander, 724th Military Police Battalion. He stated that when he arrived at Camp Bucca "I never got anything in writing. Verbally, we were told to follow the Geneva Convention, in terms of the treatment of prisoners. The Rules of Engagement (ROE) was a policy put out in writing, in terms of what the Rules of Engagement were at Camp Bucca. That was basically it. I asked the Brigade for certain things in writing, but didn't get them. I can't answer why". He further stated "I think I did well, as a Commander. I had no problems with detainee abuse. We were the first ones to operate a theatre internment facility, which we built with the Engineers...We had no serious problems with detainees. We treated them humanely, and I tried to emphasize that, as much as I could." and "I would re-emphasize the Geneva Hague Convention in staff meetings, and I would visit the companies on a monthly basis, to discuss those things. I would tell them, that our mission wasn't really rocket science. The way we were going to be successful was to treat the detainees humanely, and to keep them in the wire until it's time to let them go. I would try to get those 2 points across, as much as I could".