Westlife and heavy metal used by CIA in Afghan torture

Image: Westlife 

According to a civil liberties group, Westlife and heavy metal music were used in the torture of Suleiman Abdullah in Afghanistan. 

The newly wed reggae-loving fisherman known locally as 'Travolta' from Tanzania was subject to the treatment in which the report, Out Of Darkness explains, "His interrogators would intersperse a syrupy song called "My Love" with heavy metal, played on repeat at ear-spitting volume". 

In response Westlife's Kian Egan said, "If we're talking about [playing it] repeatedly, it probably only took about two hours to crack the poor guy with that one."

The report goes on to state, "It only stopped when a CD skipped or needed changing." And also, "they were only playing the love song especially for him."

After torturing Suleiman for more than a month, in which the CIA "deprived him of sleep", "doused him in cold water" and "beat him", Abdullah attempted to end his life before being transferred to another prison and then Bagram, a notorious Afghan prison.  

Eventually in 2008 he was released after being deemed he posed no threat to the United States.  His psychological scars, however, remain. 

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