Thursday, 08 July 2004
Real Torture In A Fake Jail
Is there ANYBODY in charge in Afghanistan? What the hell is going on over there?
The U.S. military, facing a widening inquiry into prisoner abuse, quickly distanced itself from the three, who had been posing as American agents before being detained Monday. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Thursday "the U.S. government does not employ or sponsor these men."
Afghan officials also dismissed claims by the apparent ringleader, Jonathan K. Idema, that he was a "special adviser" to their security forces, saying the three had posed as military agents on a self-appointed hunt for terrorists.
The Americans and four Afghans who were detained along with them "formed a group and pretended they were fighting terrorism," Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali said. "They arrested eight people from across Kabul and put them in their jail."
Another Afghan security official said intelligence and police officials who raided the group's house Monday found the prisoners strung up by their feet.
"They were hanging upside down," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He said a report showed the men also were beaten.
Jalali said the Americans had no "legal link" to any Afghan or other authorities.
Still, officials said they were seen regularly around Kabul wearing military uniforms and armed with assault rifles.
Let me get this straight. Some guy who's allegedly former military made his own way over to Afghanistan at the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom (or whatever it was called). He somehow managed to procure a military uniform, an assault weapon and a crew of Afghan underlings and he's been running his own jail there ever since??
How was this allowed to happen? Can any sociopathic loser with a Soldier-of-Fortune subscription go become a mercenary in Afghanistan?
Posted by SmooveJ Zao on July 8, 2004 at 09:11 PM in War on Terra | Permalink
I can't say I blame him for going to Afghanistan. Evidently he is on the trail of Osama and that $25 million dollar reward. (did you get that? 25 million!). If I had the capital to finance that kind of operation I would be over there too. I would not be holding prisoners though, that just seems to waste a lot of resources and I doubt it produces any results. Moreover, it wouldn't feel right to imprison and torture those people.
Posted by: Clyde | Jul 11, 2004 10:35:14 AM
Granted, I guess I don't blame him for going to Afghanistan to try to find Osama and get some payout. I think it's fucking crazy, but I suppose it's one way to make $25 mil.
What I DO blame him for however, is going there under the guise of a US official, setting up his own jail, and hanging people up by their feet. That's some sadistic shit.
This is a guy who actually deserves the "terrorist" moniker. I say put a bag on his head and send him to Guantanamo where he can be tried alongside the other enemy combatants.
Posted by: smooveJ | Jul 13, 2004 3:29:39 PM
I am okay with sending him to Guatanamo. But lets give him a few weeks to finish up the job over there and capture Osama. And maybe we send Trump over there to help him out. God knows Bush can't get the job done.
Posted by: Clyde | Jul 14, 2004 11:50:45 PM
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