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By his own admission, Cammack stated that, he "exploded" and yelled at Habibullah, "don"t ever spit on me again." Further, Cammack admitted that he began kneeing the shackled and swaying man in the thigh "maybe a couple" of times. Twenty minutes later, Habibullah was found dead in his cell by Sgt. Boland and Spec. Cammack. According to Boland, "Spec. Cammack appeared very distraught, the soldier was running about the room . hysterically."

Immediately, another MP was dispatched to find a medic. When his assistance was requested by the MPs, Spec. Robert S. Melone, indignant at being bothered, reportedly said, "What are you getting me for? Call an ambulance instead!" Another medic was contacted, he responded, and found Habibullah on the floor, dead, his arms outstretched, eyes and mouth open wide.

On Dec. 8, 2002, an autopsy performed on Habibullah revealed that his death was attributed to a blood clot that likely traveled to his heart and blocked the blood flow to his lungs. This clot was probably the result of the severe injuries to his legs, according to the autopsy findings. Significantly, the autopsy discovered bruises and abrasions on the victim"s chest, arms and head. Also present were deep contusions on his calves, knees and thighs. His left calf was marked by what appeared to have been the sole of a boot.

The next victim arrived at Bagram on Dec. 5, 2002, only two days after Habibullah"s death. The Afghani, named Dilawar, had been detained on suspicion of firing rockets at a U.S. military site in Afghanistan. He was a taxi driver by profession.

In keeping with Capt. Wood"s rules, both MI and MP escorts would render him a similar fate to that of Habibullah. Prison guards soon declared him "noncompliant," and his handling and incarceration were almost identical to that of the now deceased detainee

Shackled in his cell, just prior to a scheduled interrogation, Dilawar reportedly spat on MP Spec. Corey E. Jones when the soldier brought him some water. Jones later asserted that as a result he began a series of knee and peroneal strikes to the detainee"s leg.

In response to beating, Dilawar reportedly screamed out, "Allah, Allah, Allah." Other MP soldiers heard Dilawar screaming, and according to Jones" own admission, "They thought it was funny."

Other MPs in the platoon showed up to give Dilawar repeated and sustained peroneal strikes over a 24-hour period. This was done just to hear Dilawar scream, "Allah," said Jones to CID Investigators. In a subsequent statement to CID, Specialist Jones was vague about which M.P.'s had delivered the blows. His estimate was never confirmed, but other guards eventually admitted striking Mr. Dilawar repeatedly.

On Dec. 8, 2002, the same day as Habibullah"s autopsy, Dilawar was subjected to his fourth interrogation with 21-year-old Spec. Glendale C. Walls II as the interrogator. Walls declared the detainee hostile because he would not admit to allegations that he had launched rockets at the American base.

Dilawar was physically unable to hold his hand-cuffed hands above his head as instructed, which prompted another interrogator, Sgt. Selena Salcido, to forcibly slap Dilawar"s hands back up when they fell. Both interrogators then termed Dilawar evasive because he was unable to sit in a chair due to the injuries he had sustained at the hands of the guards during the past 24 hours. Dilawar was then repeatedly shoved against the wall by Walls and Salcido because he could no longer stand.

According to an interpreter who was present, later identified as Ahmad Ahmadzai, Dilawar received a beating for about ten to fifteen minutes at the hands of Walls and Salcido. The thrashing was highlighted by the violent kicking of Dilawar in the groin, private areas, and one good drop kick, in which Salcido stepped back and advanced rapidly, kicking Dilawar. In published classified investigative reports, Salcido also stepped on Dilawar"s bare foot and pulled him about, physically, by his beard.

Following this sustained attack and beating on Dilawar, which Ahmadzai described as no interrogation at all, Dilawar was returned to his cell and shackled to the ceiling until the next interrogation shift came on. Salcido instructed the MP escorts to shackle Dilawar to the ceiling in his cell.

The next morning, Dec. 9, 2002, Dilawar was subjected to his final interrogation at which he was unable to kneel when ordered or physically comply with anything. This caused the interrogation session to erode to more physical abuse. An interrogator identified as Spec. Joshua Claus took over from Walls, who remained present. Dilawar"s last interrogation eroded into more abuse and assault and he was returned to his cell and re-shackled.

Dilawar was found dead the next morning.

Claus and Walls have both since been charged with assault, prisoner maltreatment, and lying to investigators.

Shortly after Dilawar"s death Lt. Col. Elizabeth Rouse, the corner, who was a Major at the time, determined that Dilawar suffered injuries so extreme that one of his legs "had basically been pulpified." Rouse further commented regarding Dilawar"s fate and demise, "I"ve seen similar injuries in an individual run over by a bus."

In February 2003, while making an effort deny the criminal actions of soldiers and leaders alike, Lt. Gen. Daniel K. McNeill, commander of allied forces in Afghanistan, released a statement that said, in part: "We are not chaining people to the ceilings .. I will say that our interrogation techniques are adapted, they are in accordance with what is generally accepted as interrogation techniques."

As with the infamous guards at Abu Ghraib, one must ask, where was the supervision by the guards" chain of command? Who was in charge? Where were the officers and commanders during that month when two detainees were viciously beaten to death in a gruesome, painful and bizarre manner? Where was any level of senior noncommissioned officer leadership? Just who in hell was in operational charge of these specialists and junior NCOs? Who was setting policy and monitoring those policies?

The answer is that Capt. Carolyn A. Wood, a vastly experienced U.S. Army intelligence officer. Wood, recall, was the officer in charge of interrogations and intelligence collection operations at Bagram in December 2002. Wood is currently assigned to duties as the adjutant of the 304th MI Battalion at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

A former enlisted soldier and former staff sergeant in the MI career field, Wood later became a commissioned officer. At Bagram, she wrote and posted her own "rules of interrogation" for detainees. In mid-2003, Wood was reassigned to Abu Ghraib prison with essentially the same duties. While there, she fell under the ineffective leadership of Lt. Col. Steven P. Jordan, of the 205th MI Brigade, which was responsible for detainee interrogations at the prison.

Also, according to the N.Y. Times, in a piece written by Douglas Jehl and Eric Schmitt, which appeared on May 21, 2004, upon arriving at Abu Ghraib, Wood again posted her "interrogation rules and operational directives." Effectively, she had imported and applied many of the harsh methods that seemed to work for her unit at the Afghanistan site.

The aftermath of the detainees" deaths at Bagram is sickeningly similar to that of the Abu Ghraib scandal: To date, only seven junior enlisted soldiers have been accused and or/punished for their involvement as part of Wood"s team in Afghanistan, although according published news reports, over 28 soldiers have been implicated in the two murders thus far.

Spec. Cammack last week pleaded guilty at a court-martial at Fort Bliss, Tex., to assault and two counts of making a false statement relating to his assault on Habibullah. The military judge sentenced Cammack to three months in prison, reduced him to the rank of private, issued a fine, and gave him a bad-conduct discharge.

As of this writing, the Army has made no move to prefer criminal charges against Capt. Wood, who - to no one"s surprise - was unavailable for comment.

The illegal beating of detainees may be over, but the Army"s accountability scandal continues.

J.David Galland