Alleged American Vigilantes Show Videos

[Nambe]

Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Three Americans accused of torturing prisoners at a private jail played videos at their trial Monday showing a top Afghan official pledging his full support to the alleged vigilantes, then sending his security force on a raid with them.

The videos, and another showing NATO peacekeepers in a separate raid, were part of the defense's effort to prove the counterterrorism operation had the backing of the Pentagon and Afghan officials and was not a rogue mission as the prosecution alleges. ..

Idema claims his activities were sanctioned by high-level Pentagon officials and says the Afghan government was also fully behind his efforts to track down terrorists. He says the FBI has abandoned him in embarrassment at the torture allegations and because it felt he was showing them up.

The prosecutor, Dawari, conceded Idema had contacts with Afghan officials, but he said they arose from the Afghans' mistaken belief he was a legitimate operative backed by the U.S. government.

The U.S. military insists the defendants were operating without its knowledge and outside the law. Still, the American military has acknowledged receiving from Idema a prisoner who was subsequently released. ..

[AndyTiedye]

1. "...If Any Of You Are Caught or Killed, The Secretary Will Disavow...

...any knowledge of your actions. Good luck Jim."

[daleo]

2. You have to wonder about this

"NATO peacekeepers, known as the International Security Assistance Force, also say they were duped into helping Idema's team on three raids in Kabul, on two of which explosives were found.

Video of one of the raids was shown in court Monday.

``Does the court think that ISAF would send me 50 soldiers and 10 vehicles if they didn't know who we were?'' Idema asked. ``ISAF knew exactly who we were.''"

Either he is right, or they are pretty disorganized over there. I wonder what NATO countries were involved?