The US Army Inspector General has cleared former commander of US troops in Iraq, Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez of involvement in the abuse of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Many have suspected that General Sanchez, who authorized tougher interrogation techniques in September of 2003, knew about the abuses. Three of Sanchez's top aides have also been cleared.

Since the abuses became known last year, five soldiers have been convicted as a result of nine inquiries held by the Pentagon. Two more inquiries are forthcoming, however, the Inspector General's report was designed to be the Army's "final word" on the responsibility of senior military leadership as it was the only investigation assigned the task of assigning blame to senior leadership if it existed. There is still the possibility that two high-ranking military intelligence officers could face criminal charges for their roles in the abuse, but the military has determined that responsibility for the abuse did not extend beyond "brigade level."

Meanwhile, the ACLU has denounced the Army review charging that it is more proof that an independent council is needed to investigate the situation. According to the ACLU, the 30,000 pages of documents the Army has released over the past year in response to an ACLU Freedom of Information Act request show that the abuse was systemic in nature and extended to the top of the military chain of command. This assessment is consistent with the findings of Human Rights Watch, whose Getting Away with Torture? Command Responsibility for the US Abuse of Detainees report outlines evidence showing that military leadership was partially responsible for the abuse.