A US army investigation into abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq finds they resulted from failures of leadership at the highest levels of command, the Washington Postreported today.
The Postquoted unnamed senior defence officials as saying the investigation led by Maj Gen George Fay found that a combination of leadership failures, confusing policies, lack of discipline and "absolute confusion" at the prison led to the abuse.
Seven military police personnel have been charged with the abuses - which included sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners and caused outrage across the world.
"There was total confusion about the military intelligence tactics, techniques and procedures," the Postquoted one official as saying.
The inquiry said top commanders shared responsibility for not fully paying attention to signs of abuse or to reports from the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"Command should have paid more attention to the issue," one official told the Post. "Signals, symptoms of abuse weren't fully vetted to the top."
However, the investigation stopped short of saying that soldiers were ordered to abuse detainees and no army officers were likely to face criminal charges, the paper said.
The White House and Defense Department have blamed the abuse at Abu Ghraib on low-level military personnel acting on their own initiative.
The Postquoted its sources as saying the report implicated five civilian contractors in the abuses and that the army would recommend their cases be sent to the Justice Department for possible prosecution.
The Fay report is expected to be sent to Congress next week.