Would someone please explain this to me:
After 28 months of incarceration, Jabour -- who was described by a counterterrorism official in the U.S. government as "a committed jihadist and a hard-core terrorist who was intent on doing harm to innocent people, including Americans" -- was released eight months ago. U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials confirmed his incarceration and that he was held in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They would not discuss conditions inside black sites or the treatment of any detainee.
Either (A) Jabour is (was) a member of Al Qaeda, and should not be out wandering the streets today, or (B) Jabour was not a member of Al Qaeda (and was likely just guilty of being stupid - hanging around Al Qaeda people), and thus shouldn't have been locked up. What the hell?
Two other notes: first, Jabour, in the article, notes that he was interrogated by something like 45 different Americans while he was being held at a US facility in Afghanistan for two-plus years. This is insane. Far and away, the best interrogation tactic is to treat prisoners well, and have a single interrogator interact with them over a long period (this builds trust, respect, etc.). Having a revolving door of interrogators ruins this approach. Second, the article also notes that when Jabour was released (remember - he was captured in Pakistan, and held in Afghanistan) he was released in Jordan, who (after six weeks) turned him over to the Israelis, who declined to prosecute him (likely because he hadn't done anything to Israel), at which point he was released into Gaza (as, finally, a free man). What the hell? Why release him hundreds of miles away (if he's guilty, why release him? If he's innocent, why release him way over there?)? Why release him to Jordan? Why did they pass him to the Israelis? Does any of this make any sense?
And don't even get me started on the massive human rights abuses and violations of international law over this single case.
Posted by baltar at February 28, 2007 08:42 AM | TrackBack | Posted to Atrocities of War | International Affairs