Obama retreats on releasing dozens torture photos

14/05/2009| IslamWeb

In a reversal, President Barack Obama objected on Wednesday to the release of dozens of photographs showing the abuse of suspected detainees in illegal military prisons.

The Obama administration had said last month it would comply with a court order to release the pictures by May 28.

A U.S. official said Obama told his legal team last week that he did not feel "comfortable" with the release of the photos that shows torture cases.

"The president strongly believes that the release of these photos, particularly at this time, would only serve the purpose of inflaming the theaters of war, jeopardizing U.S. forces, and making our job more difficult in places like Iraq and Afghanistan," the official said.

PHOTO CAPTION

US President Barack Obama, seen here on May 12, 2009.

Reuters