No, but I pee a lot.
Posted on 12/02/2001 2:09:35 PM PST by mdittmar
A 20-year-old American who fought with the Taliban and survived a bloody prison uprising near Mazar-i-Sharif last week has been taken into custody by U.S. special forces troops, Newsweek magazine said on its Web site on Sunday.
A spokesman for U.S. Central Command, which is running the military campaign on Afghanistan , confirmed that a man claiming to be an American was in the control of U.S. military forces.
``Military forces in Afghanistan do have in their control a man who calls himself a U.S. citizen,'' Marine Maj. Brad Lowell, a Central Command spokesman, said.
``He was among the al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners; he was held by the Northern Alliance in Mazar-i-Sharif. He is injured and is being given medical assistance by U.S. forces,'' he told Reuters.
The man, described by Newsweek as ``a white, educated-sounding, apparently middle-class American,'' who identified himself only as Abdul Hamid, was taken into custody on Saturday at a hospital where he had been taken for treatment of minor gunshot and shrapnel wounds.
The special forces soldiers who detained Hamid took him aside for treatment and later left with him, doctors told the magazine. A Northern Alliance military source said the U.S. soldiers had taken Hamid to Mazar-i-Sharif, Newsweek said, adding that U.S. forces refused to comment on his whereabouts.
Hamid told Newsweek earlier he was a Washington, D.C., native but indicated he grew up elsewhere in the United States. He said he converted to Islam at age 16 and later went to Pakistan to study the Koran, Newsweek said.
Hamid said he came into contact with Taliban teachings while studying in Pakistan and traveled to Afghanistan six months ago to help ``because the Taliban are the only government that actually provides Islamic law,'' the magazine reported.
He fought with the Taliban at the siege of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan and surrendered along with hundreds of other fighters after the two sides negotiated a deal.
Hamid later was transferred along with hundreds of other prisoners to Qala-i-Jhangi fortress west of Mazar-i-Sharif, where a revolt ensued a week ago. The uprising was violently put down by U.S. warplanes and Northern Alliance ground forces.
Several hundred prisoners were believed to have been killed. A CIA officer was among those killed in the uprising, the first reported American combat death in Afghanistan.
I'm from Wisconsin. No beer here is drunk in moderate amounts.
No, but I pee a lot.
Some future left-wing president (President Hillary? President Schumer? President Daschle?) could indeed use these military tribunals against loyal citizens. I have seen a quote from the author Garry Wills several times where he says that american gun owners are traitors. Gun control types are not above declaring that private gun ownership is terrorism (Do you think that they would hold back from doing so if they thought it would help them ban all guns?). It would be all to easy for these military tribunals to be turned against ordinary americans later on. We will not always have a republican president, and when the day comes that a left winger is using this precedent against conservatives, those who support the tribunals now will not have much grounds for complaint.
Smoozing? No, I pointed out how he is different from the majority of twentysomethings in this country. As far as the "hero" thing, I did not call him a hero, I suggested that *in a sense* he is a tragic hero. There's a difference.
Hey john,you should have went with that CNN guy.
You f^cked up again!
Learn dammit,we need your insight!
Ok, that does it! I’m heading to Afghanistan to fight for the Northern Alliance. I’ll be a member of the Old Farts Brigade. I’ll be in charge of The Ministry of Widow Rehabilitation.
gee whiz rwfromkansas, a bit over done for an opinion don't you say? I read wildconservative (sp) missive and while I disagree with his assessment that at least the kid/traitor had a belief; you on the other hand are over-reacting a bit...
my, how I love arm chair junior g-men. btw rwfromkansas, your tutu is showing.
Does anyone know if they use ak74's or -47s or both in afghanistan? I know the russians used the 74 there (I think it was the first wide-scale use of it in any field enviroment)
From what is in there they sound like quite the enabling moral reletavists. He sounds like quite the indulged little rat as he grew up. In Northern Cali we are infected with them. Here are a few priceless quotes:
"At the age of 16 he converted to Islam. His mother says she does not know why John embraced the religion. Although he was raised as a Catholic, his mother says he was exposed to her following of Buddhist teachings. ?It?s very inclusive of all people and [has] a sense of social justice,? she says."
Is that beautiful or what? Mom doesn't know hoe he became interested in Eastern religions. Bhuddist teachings, lol.
"At age 18 John traveled to Sinna, in Yemen, to learn Arabic. He then moved on to Pakistan and a Madrassah in the village of Bannu, where in addition to working to memorize the Quran, he taught himself some of the Urdu and Pashto languages. Frank Lindh says his son?s study of languages and his dedication to his religious studies makes him proud."
This is just plain wierd. Eighteen, going to Yemen, to learn Arabic. Hmmmm. Bet daddy's proud now.
The article is worth a read.
Mr. Ashcroft, would you please conven the IDIOT TRIBUNAL and hang this rats parent's too. Thank you.
Mr. Ashcroft, would you please convene the IDIOT TRIBUNAL and hang this rats parent's too. Thank you.
Darn control characters :-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.