CNN: Afghans say hold three Americans after shootout

[iconoclastic cat]

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?floc=NW_1-T&oldflok=FF-RTO-PLS&idq=/ff/story/0002/20040707/1255940619.htm&photoid=20040704PHI03D_PHI03D

Afghans say hold three Americans after shootout

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan security forces have arrested three Americans and four Afghans after a shootout in the capital and accused them of illegally detaining and interrogating locals, security officials said Wednesday.

A U.S. Embassy spokesman identified one of the Americans as Jonathan Idema, who the military says has misrepresented himself in the past as an American government or military official.

Police said they exchanged small-arms fire during the raid on an illegal jail in the Karteh Parwan district of Kabul Monday. There were no injuries.

A senior intelligence Afghan official, who did not want to be identified, said the suspects had used a private house to detain local people.

"They carried illegal arms," he said. "They arrested and interrogated people illegally."

Police said several Afghans, apparently detained by the group, were found in the house. Members of the group detaining wore military uniforms.
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Some interesting info about this story was posted by some Kos readers:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/7/7/173613/0977

Research Results (none / 0)

This fellow, Jonathan aka J. Keith aka J. K. aka Jack Idema, is a former U. S. Army Special Forces commando. After the 9/11 attacks, he tried to re-enlist in the U. S. Army at age 45, according to a lawsuit he filed against Fox News. He went to Afghanistan (having failed to enlist) and joined the Northern Alliance. His stories are recounted in a book called "The Hunt for Bin Laden." According to the author of this book Jack Idema "captured the best intelligence tapes of the war, put down the Taliban riots single-handedly, stopped a diaster in the world's highest tunnel, rescued children from rocket attacks and earthquakes, delivered babies, operated on wounded soldiers, rescued hostages, exposed an al-Qaida assassination attempt on a U. S. president and linked bin Laden to nuclear terrorism." He apparently did all this during a 9-month stay in Afghanistan.

Jack Idema also managed to be interviewed by Katie Couric on March 12, 2003. In May, 2003, he sued Fox for $2 million, claiming Fox broadcast his tape of a supposed al Qaida training camp repeatedly without paying him and failed to pay him for hazardous reporting assignments from combat zones in Afghanistan, his media access dropped off.

I wonder if Jack Idema is trying to capture Osama all by himself.

by eafredel on Wed Jul 7th, 2004 at 18:38:00 EDT
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[iconoclastic cat]

1. Did anyone read this?

Hello? What, did I get a global ignore?

[oneighty]

2. jackidema

He be sounding to good to be true. A real life RAMBO. A comic book hero.

I bet.

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