Generals called before prisoner abuse panel

US senators are pulling in top generals from Iraq to tell what they know about the prisoner abuse scandal over strong criticism from a Republican committee chairman in the House.

The Senate Armed Services Committee is “basically driving the story” of prisoner abuse and “jerking out these battlefield commanders” while their troops are in a shooting war, Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter said.

“The Senate has become mesmerised by cameras” and “they have given now probably more publicity to what six people did in the Abu Ghraib prison at 2.30 in the morning than the invasion of Normandy,” said Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

The Senate panel hears testimony today from General John Abizaid, head of US Central Command, Lieut General Ricardo Sanchez, commander on the ground in Iraq, and Major General Geoffrey Miller, deputy commander of prison operations there.

The Senate hearing, its third on the abuse scandal, follows testimony by Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz yesterday in which he said the Defence Department made a number of misjudgements about Iraq, and that the future is uncertain.

Senator John Warner, the Republican who chairs the Senate panel, released a letter in which he said the generals could appear by video teleconference.