Generals 'knew of Abu Ghraib abuse'

The US army general who investigated the treatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib broke a three-year silence yesterday to accuse senior army commanders of involvement in the abusive interrogation methods that shocked the world.

Gen Antonio Taguba, who resigned as deputy minister at the Pentagon last year, also said he was convinced former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld lied under oath to a Congressional committee about when and how much he knew of the scandal.

In an interview with The New Yorker published yesterday, the general said the military police officers (MPs) who abused detainees acted with at least the encouragement of military intelligence.

But he said he was instructed only to investigate junior MPs, mostly those who featured in the infamous images.