Posted on 04/06/2007 9:25:19 PM PDT by do the dhue
ROYAL MARINE BASE CHIVENOR, England (AP) -- British sailors and marines freed by Iran said Friday they were blindfolded, isolated in cold stone cells and tricked into fearing execution while being coerced into falsely saying they had entered Iranian waters.
They said there was no doubt the 15 crew members were in Iraq's territorial waters when they were seized by heavily armed boats of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. They also said their jailers had singled out the only woman among the captives for use in propaganda.
Iran, which has been celebrating the incident as a victory, quickly rejected the charges, dismissing a news conference held by six of the freed personnel as "propaganda" and "a show." Iranian state TV accused British leaders of "dictating" the crew's statements.
Appearing a day after being flown home to reunions with their families, the eight sailors and seven marines reported undergoing constant psychological pressure and being threatened with seven years in prison if they did not say they intruded into Iranian waters.
They said their captors also lined them up against a wall one night to the ominous sound of weapons cocking behind their heads.
"At some points I did have fears that we would not survive," Operator Maintainer Arthur Batchelor, 20, the youngest sailor among the captives, told The Associated Press in an interview.
(Excerpt) Read more at breakingnews.nypost.com ...
Who's got the master of the obvious picture?
writer by the name of TARIQ PANJA
That is the way it was planed all along.
I say they were either very poorly trained or big chickens.
I am under the understand that our rules of engagement would not have allowed our Sailors to be taken hostage.
We have been holding a few Iranians for quite awhile, the correct question is “What would our media say if we went into Iranian territorial waters and kidnapped 15 Iranian sailors?”
they appeared so embarrassing to me that I wondered if their couscous was generously laced with cannabis.
The US Military should revisit the misguided plan to put women in combat positions. All it does is offer our enemies a propaganda opportunity. The ragheads recognized it immediately and seized it.
thanks. much better.
Yes, I guess it would have been better if they fought back and all died.
It’s pretty hard to die for nothing.
They were out on some stupid UN mission, and then their backup left them out in the cold. There’s plenty of blame to go around, but relatively little belongs to the captives.
Our standing ROE would allow the Sailors and Marines, as well as the host ship, with other assets in the air, like gunships, to respond with appropriate force due to a threat of a hostile act. The standing ROE of the US includes an inherent right of self-defense to protect personnel and equipment.
see my post above. I believe in our standing ROE and I concur with it.
Well, I'm sure he did... but Nancy didn't reply.... Yet!
I am under the understanding that I have a state department that delivers messages in foreign affairs. IT is not the job of Congress people.
If Peloser wanted to go over there on a fact finding mission, that is fine. But the second Peloser starts acting like Secretary of State and she does not represent current foreign policy and or delivers wrong messages, then she should be tried for treason.
This is very important. We do not need 635 voices going around the world talking their own brand of foreign policy.
I am under the understanding that she told Syria something that Israel did not say.
If this is the case, Peloser need to be exiled from this land. I think we should find a lawyer and bring this into a court of law.
There has to be a lawyer who will take this.
Coerced? What a surprise...
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