Despite Reports, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Was Not Waterboarded 183 Times

The New York Times reported last week that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, was waterboarded 183 times in one month by CIA interrogators.

The "183 times" was widely circulated by news outlets throughout the world.

It was shocking. And it was highly misleading. The number is a vast inflation, according to information from a U.S. official and the testimony of the terrorists themselves.

A U.S. official with knowledge of the interrogation program told FOX News that the much-cited figure represents the number of times water was poured onto Mohammed's face -- not the number of times the CIA applied the simulated-drowning technique on the terror suspect. According to a 2007 Red Cross report, he was subjected a total of "five sessions..."

"The water was poured 183 times -- there were 183 pours," the official explained, adding that "each pour was a matter of seconds."

[So, do you think this clarification will be "widly circulated by news outlets throughout the world"? I.e., yet again, the damage is done.]

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