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Guardsmen Ordered to Ignore Iraqi Prisoner Abuse

The day the United States handed over sovereignty to Iraq's interim government, an Oregon National Guardsman witnessed Iraqi soldiers beating Iraqi prisoners. He and other guardsmen intervened, but were later ordered to return the prisoners to their Iraqi captors and walk away. NPR's Linda Wertheimer talks with Mike Francis, who reports on the incident in The Oregonian.

Copyright 2004 NPR

As NPR's senior national correspondent, Linda Wertheimer travels the country and the globe for NPR News, bringing her unique insights and wealth of experience to bear on the day's top news stories.