05-16-2006, 03:51
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#1
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: America, the Beautiful
Posts: 3,193
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Afghan who rescued SEAL finds trouble with Taliban and US
With Friends Like These...
Update: An Afghan who risked all to rescue a wounded Navy SEAL finds trouble with the Taliban—and the U.S. military
NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Sami Yousafzai
Updated: 2:39 p.m. ET May 13, 2006
Death threats from the Taliban aren't Mohammad Gulab's only worry. As reported in NEWSWEEK's April 17 issue, the Afghan villager has been pursued by Al Qaeda's local partners ever since June 2005, when he rescued a wounded U.S. Navy SEAL in the mountains of Kunar province, east of Kabul. Vengeful jihadists burned down his village lumber business and forced him and his family to flee for their lives, abandoning their home and possessions. The Americans never delivered on promises Gulab says they made to relocate the family to a safe place, so they moved in with Gulab's brother-in-law near the U.S. base at the provincial capital, Asadabad. But Gulab never expected that the American military would target him next.
Late on Friday, April 14—the week NEWSWEEK's story appeared—Gulab's phone rang. The caller told him to come to the U.S. base at 11 the next morning, and Gulab barely slept that night, thinking the Americans were going to relocate him and his family out of danger. When he reported to the main gate on Saturday, he found a pair of U.S. soldiers waiting for him. They checked his name—and then handcuffed and blindfolded him, hauling him off to an unlit room in a remote corner of the base. There, he says, he was placed in a cage so cramped that he could neither stand up nor lie down.
Hours later, two Americans and an interpreter entered the room and began interrogating him. Most of the questions were about his life and his family, although Gulab couldn't imagine why. He was sure his captors knew exactly who he was, he says. They inquired about ties to al Qaeda, a question he considered insulting. Hadn't he saved an American commando's life? And the interrogators kept returning to the subject of his contacts with NEWSWEEK. They had searched him and found a NEWSWEEK reporter's business card with an Islamabad address. The interrogators kept asking when he had been to Pakistan and where had gone, although he told them he had not traveled to the Pakistani capital.
Gulab says the session lasted more than an hour. It was only the first in a series that continued until the afternoon of the fourth day. Then the Americans told him he was free to go home. He had trouble walking after spending so much time locked up in a cramped cage. His captors never told him why he had been detained, he says, but before his release, one of the interrogators offered some advice: "Stay away from reporters. It will be in your best interest."
NEWSWEEK has repeatedly asked the U.S. military to clarify the incident. Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, a public-affairs officer at U.S. headquarters in Bagram, sent this reply via email: "Mr. Gulab was detained and questioned by coalition forces and released. I can't discuss any details of why he was questioned but it was not related to his interview with Newsweek." The Pentagon has not responded to several requests for comment. The Taliban and its friends are not so reticent. After word got out that the Americans had locked up Gulab, someone left a message affixed to the wall of his brother-in-law's house. "This is your punishment from God in this world," the note said, "and a taste of what you will get on the day of judgment." Gulab continues to believe he did the right thing by saving the SEAL.
© 2006 MSNBC.com
URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12773520/site/newsweek/
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Warrior-Mentor is offline
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05-16-2006, 05:04
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#2
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Area Commander
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,355
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__________________
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither Thou goest." - Ecclesiastes 9:10
"If simple folk are free from care and fear, simple they will be, and we must be secret to keep them so." - JRRT
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jatx is offline
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05-16-2006, 06:59
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#3
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BANNED USER
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 533
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I would have thought we'd have relocated this guy and his family by now.
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JMI is offline
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05-16-2006, 07:10
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#4
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: In transit somewhere
Posts: 4,044
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It seems to me that there is no honor in politics - this guy should be relo'd - what's the hold up on the ground in the AO?
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x SF med is offline
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05-16-2006, 07:33
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#5
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"SF Loggie"
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 250
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Need Proof of Status Quo?
Just ask the magnificent warriors of the Montanyards, et. al.
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Soft Target is offline
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05-16-2006, 08:49
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#6
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,811
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He and his family should have had US passports in hand and been on the first thing smoking to the US and their new lives.
The CJSOTF should have taken care of this man, to include intervening with the DoS, and sheltered them till it was time to leave.
I suspect that the rest of the people in the village have decided what they will do the next time an wounded American shows up asking for help.
God help us.
TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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05-16-2006, 09:08
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#7
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: In transit somewhere
Posts: 4,044
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Reminds me of the issues in the 80's with assets not being relo'd after grabs, and intel sources not being covered after things went to hell in a few places.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
This is one of the reasons I stay apolitical anymore - I will support out troops, with my life if need be, but I have to question the current administration and it's policies or lack thereof.
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x SF med is offline
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05-16-2006, 09:20
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#8
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Gun Pilot
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Iowa and New Mexico
Posts: 2,143
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Soft Target
Just ask the magnificent warriors of the Montanyards, et. al.
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Very reminiscent of the shoddy way we rewarded the Montagnards for their loyalty, and devotion!
This situation sucks, sincerely hope it is resolved satisfactorily!
Terry
__________________
E7-CW3-direct commission VN
B model gunship pilot 65-66 Soc Trang, Cobra Pilot 68-69-70 Can Tho Life member 101st Airborne Association
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CPTAUSRET is offline
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05-16-2006, 13:08
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#9
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Asset
Join Date: May 2006
Location: TX
Posts: 2
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treating people like we are (this story is a perfect ex.) is a prime reason for why so many people and organiztions hate the US. This man was once sympatheitc to the US cause, now he inevitably only has feelings of disdain and contempt
this story is similar to the reasons bin laden turned against the US, and look what he help create. how do we expect to end the war on terror when we help give people the foundation to become terrorists---a unified belief of the US only acting as tyrants...this attitude by the govt is costing our military lives of our wonderful soldiers
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tag4733 is offline
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05-16-2006, 13:16
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#10
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,811
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by tag4733
treating people like we are (this story is a perfect ex.) is a prime reason for why so many people and organiztions hate the US. This man was once sympatheitc to the US cause, now he inevitably only has feelings of disdain and contempt
this story is similar to the reasons bin laden turned against the US, and look what he help create. how do we expect to end the war on terror when we help give people the foundation to become terrorists---a unified belief of the US only acting as tyrants...this attitude by the govt is costing our military lives of our wonderful soldiers
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tag:
Feel free to fill out your profile a little more, do some reading, and consider using good grammar and punctuation before posting again on this site.
This is not the undisciplined internet you may be familiar with. We are serious people, who take situational awareness and attention to detail seriously.
Have a very SF day.
TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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