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Afghans Try Americans on Torture Charges
Three Americans accused of torturing Afghans in a private jail during a freelance counterterror mission went on trial Wednesday, with their ringleader denying any wrongdoing and claiming U.S. government support. Jonathan K. Idema, Brett Bennett and Edward Caraballo were arrested when Afghan security forces raided their makeshift jail in a house in Kabul on July 5. American and Afghan authorities say they were vigilantes posing as U.S. special forces and had no official backing. Appearing before a three-judge panel in a national security court, the trio listened quietly to the charges - including hostage-taking and torture, and as three of their ex-detainees described how they were beaten, doused with boiling water and deprived of food. The Americans didn't testify. But Idema said afterward that the abuse allegations were invented. He also said he was in regular phone and e-mail contact with Pentagon officials "at the highest level."
| In which case there'll be evidence... |
| ... except that Sandy Berger was rummaging around in the files, and ... |
| "In the event your IMF team is caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions." |
Idema named a Pentagon official who allegedly asked the group to go "under contract" - an offer they refused. "The American authorities absolutely condoned what we did, they absolutely supported what we did," he told reporters crowding round the dock.
Posted by: Fred 2004-07-21 |
