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Afghanistan
Fresh violence hits Afghan jail
2006-03-01
Violence has flared again at Afghanistan's main jail, ending a brief period of calm after two days of rioting which killed four inmates.
Dead inmates? Oh, my heart bleeds!... No. Wait. Brussels sprouts again. Never mind.
Police have blamed the deaths on al-Qaida and Taliban inmates held at the grim 1970s-era Pul-e-Charkhi jail on the outskirts of Kabul.
Have you considered artillery?
On Tuesday gunfire was again heard from inside the prison as officials said some of the 1300 prisoners were once more smashing windows and beds as they had done when the first revolt erupted last Saturday. Authorities had been hopeful that earlier talks would end the standoff and had been preparing to move the prisoners to new facilities after their own were damaged in the rioting.
Why move them after they've fouled their nests? Why not leave them there to enjoy it?
"It seems that they don't respect what they had agreed during negotiations," Mohammad Qasim Hashimzai, Deputy Justice Minister, told AFP. "They've started to break windows and beds and even walls."
They don't respect their agreements? Wow. That's never happened before, has it?
He said it appeared some inmates were receiving orders from outside the jail through their mobile phones. Authorities were trying their best to calm the situation, he said as extra police arrived and a spy drone flew overhead. A prisoner who asked not to be named told AFP by mobile phone that police opened fire late on Tuesday after inmates refused to move to another building.
Sounds good. Lots of casualties, I hope?
The man, who said he was being held on criminal charges, said Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners started the revolt and other inmates joined them. "We're together now and resisting together," the prisoner said. "Unless our demands are met we will not surrender to police."
If Dostum was in charge he'd be giving them the old "surrender or die" choice. If he gave them a choice...
He added: "The police tried to enter the block but were forced out. We've blocked the gates and windows with beds, chairs and desks."
Posted by:Fred

#9  Is live steam a chemical agent?
Posted by: 6   2006-03-01 16:59  

#8  We don't - in combat - but we haven't officially agreed that it is covered by the Geneva Convention on chemical warfare IIRC.

The riot at the prison is an interesting test case, tho, as it isn't a battlefield venue (arguably). On the other hand, we don't want to label the prison a law enforcement situation on, either, I would imagine.

I had a talk with a JAG type about this once, but it's been a while....
Posted by: lotp   2006-03-01 11:16  

#7  I thought US armed forces were forbidden to use teargas and similar irritants? I remember reading an article ("Where has the teargas gone?" IIRC) on this subject from an "anti-tofflerian" website many moons ago, deploring the lack of this in US arsenal.
Posted by: anonymous5089   2006-03-01 11:09  

#6  Curious that they didn't use tear gas. The old debate about listing it as a chemical agent in warfare? (The US doesn't, a lot of others do.) This is arguably a law enforcement situation anyway ....
Posted by: lotp   2006-03-01 10:56  

#5  Use the right tool for the job. Dostum's men handled Qala-i-Jangi quite nicely, except for leaving Johnny Jihad alive.
Posted by: Fred   2006-03-01 10:53  

#4  Fred, I dont know whats got you on this Dostum kick. Hes a snake, at various times he supported the Communists, I think at one point he may have supported Hekmatyar, just generally the classic example of a warlord who changes sides at a moments notice, and who mistreats the peons. The kinda guy who made so many afghans nervous abotu the northern alliance. Sure hes impious, and hes tough, and I could see why that would appeal in this instance, but still, lets not think hes the direction we want the Afghan state to go in.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2006-03-01 09:55  

#3  AQ is rioting in Jordan's jails too!

(Its got to be connected.)

See Debka:

DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources report: coordinated riots by erupted Wed. March 1, in a wing of Jwaida jail in Amman, as well as Swaqa and Qafgafa prisons, which hold more than 150 detainees. Hundreds of Jordanian special forces troops fought to put down the riots. Casualties are reported on both sides.

The outbreak began at Swaqa prison when la heavy Jordanian contingent came to transfer to another facility the two al Qaeda terrorists who assassinated USAID diplomat Laurence Foley in Oct. 2002: Salkim bin Suwaid, a Libyan, and Yasser Freihat, a Jordanian. Both are under sentence of death. Several prisoners attacked the troops claiming the pair was being taken out for execution. Swaqa cells also hold Azmi Jayusi, a Zarqawi aide who was sentenced to death this month for leading a chemical attack plot in April 2004.

In no time, the violence spread to the Juwaida and Qalqafa jails.

DEBKAfile’s sources add: Jordanian prisons holding al Qaeda terrorists are equipped with exceptionally tough security measures. The outbreak of a riot in three of these facilities bares an intelligence lapse four months after al Qaeda bombers caught Jordanian security unawares by hitting a string of Amman hotels and killing 57 people.

The three outbreaks Wednesday indicate that their inmates were connected by an external communications system missed by the authorities.

Jordan has denied it was on the list of foreign facilities holding some of the CIA’s al Qaeda suspects for interrogation. However, DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources have confirmed these allegations – in particular in the case of Jordan. It is not clear if these detainees took part in the riot although it occurred on the fifth day of a jail riot in Kabul’s central prison in Afghanistan, with not sign of Afghan special forces breaking through to the wings barricaded by the prisoners. Weapons were smuggled into the facility by an unknown route. Heavy American forces surround the prison to prevent escapes.
Posted by: 3dc   2006-03-01 09:11  

#2  Her we hav..., lol. Th cas of th missing silent 'e's. Here we have...
Posted by: .com   2006-03-01 00:37  

#1  Um, just yesterday KhaleejTimes said the riot had been going on for four days.

Her we hav al Jizz saying it lasted only two and resulted in 4 dead alQ & Tallyweenie inmates.

Figure out a way to seal the thing up and leave 'em in the rubble they created. And let Amnesia Int'l feed & water 'em.
Posted by: .com   2006-03-01 00:36  

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