Camp Justice (Diego Garcia)
Camp Justice is a United States military base on Diego Garcia, a small, strategically located, isolated island in the Indian Ocean.[1][2][3] The island is in the Chagos Archipelago, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory.[4][5][6][7] American forces have used the Island since at least the mid-1960s, under lease from the United Kingdom. The island has both port facilities and an airstrip, capable of handling the largest aircraft.
The population is estimated at 1700 military personnel with a further 1500 civilian contractors, which are mostly American with around 50 British troops stationed there.[8]
Starting as early as 2004 rumors began to surface that the USA had been using Diego Garcia for the detention and torture of individuals captured in the "Global War On Terror".[1][2][9] In 2006 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the "high-value detainees," was suspected to have been held in Diego Garcia.[10]
The camp was renamed to "Camp Thunder Cove" in July 2006.[11]
Formally, the base is known as Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia (the U.S. activity) or Permanent Joint Operating Base (PJOB) Diego Garcia (the UK's term).
References
- 1 2 "US torture on UK territory claim". BBC News. July 7, 2004. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
"The existence of a US airbase on the island of Diego Garcia has consistently brought controversy on the government," he [British MP Tom Brake] said. "After the recent prisoner abuse scandals in Iraq and Camp X-Ray, the British people have the right to know whether suspects in Bush's War on Terror are being held on British soil.
- 1 2 John Pilger (October 2, 2004). "Paradise Cleansed: Our deportation of the people of Diego Garcia is a crime that cannot stand". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
A British colony lying midway between Africa and Asia in the Indian Ocean, the island is one of 64 unique coral islands that form the Chagos Archipelago, a phenomenon of natural beauty, and once of peace. Newsreaders refer to it in passing: "American B-52 and Stealth bombers last night took off from the uninhabited British island of Diego Garcia to bomb Iraq (or Afghanistan)."
- ↑ David Vine (2008-08-22). "Homesick for Camp Justice". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
For the United States, meanwhile, Diego Garcia has grown into a multibillion-dollar base, which the military likes to call the "footprint of freedom." About 4,000 miles closer to the Persian Gulf than homeland bases, it has played an increasingly important role in US attempts to control Middle Eastern oil and natural gas supplies. During both Gulf wars, the island has been used as a launch pad for long-range bombers and prepositioned weaponry and supplies destined for Iraq. Air Force personnel flying from Camp Justice, a new facility built after 9/11, dropped more ordnance on Afghanistan than any other units during the 2001 invasion. Over the last two years, the Bush administration has upgraded a submarine base and added extra wartime supplies—with the motive, some journalists have speculated, of preparing for a possible strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.
mirror - ↑ Tech. Sgt. John B. Dendy IV. "Up from the Sea". United States Air Force. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
- ↑ Journalist 2nd Class Jeffrey Fretland (December 4, 2003). "Liberty Hall One Step Closer to a Cool Summer". United States Navy. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
- ↑ Journalist 1st Class Jeremy L. Wood (December 30, 2002). "Comedian Visits Troops on Remote Isle". United States Navy. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
- ↑ "United States Navy Diego Garcia Support Facility". United States Navy. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
- ↑ Pike, John. "Diego Garcia "Camp Justice"". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
- ↑ Lynda Hurst (July 2, 2005). "Island paradise or torture chamber?". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
- ↑ Andrew Selsky (March 16, 2006). "Detainee transcripts reveal more questions". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
- ↑ U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jason Smith (July 26, 2006). "'Camp Justice' Becomes 'Thunder Cove': Airmen of 40th Air Expeditionary Group give tent city a new name". United States Department of Defense. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
Coordinates: 7°17′28″S 72°23′10″E / 7.291°S 72.386°E