by Andrew Walden (Originally published Nov, 2009.)
For five and a half years, the US has hunted for Ahmed Hashim Abed--code-named "Objective Amber." Abed is the alleged ring-leader of an Islamist mob which murdered four US military contractors--including Pa`auilo resident Wesley Batalona--in Fallujah, Iraq on March 31, 2004.
Big island residents may remember that the Fallujah murders were greeted in Hilo with a leaflet from local "peace" activist Jim Albertini who described the murdered Americans as "war criminals" and so argued they "should be in the dock."
Now Albertini will get his wish, sort of.
After being tracked for five and a half years by US personnel, Ahmed Hashim Abed was captured by Navy SEALS at the beginning of September. Originally held at a SEAL base at Camp Baharia, Abed was later taken to a cell in the Green Zone of Baghdad.
Then the complaining began.
Fox News reports:
Abed ... told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.
Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.
Matthew McCabe, a Special Operations Petty Officer Second Class (SO-2), is facing three charges: dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee, making a false official statement, and assault.
Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe, SO-2, is facing charges of dereliction of performance of duty and making a false official statement.
Petty Officer Julio Huertas, SO-1, faces those same charges and an additional charge of impediment of an investigation.
Neal Puckett, an attorney representing McCabe, told Fox News the SEALs are being charged for allegedly giving the detainee a “punch in the gut.”
The three SEALS refused an administrative punishment known as a "Captain's Mast" hearing--acceptance of which could have been seen as a career-ending admission of wrong-doing. They will instead separately face arraignment December 7 followed by Court Marshall hearings in January.
Albertini, Hawaii Democrats' Precinct 3-9 Chair, is a convicted felon and federal ex-convict once tagged as a "psychopath" by Judge Samuel Wilder King. A 9-11 trooother, Albertini is featured in a six-page creampuff interview in the Hawaii Department of Education's official "History of Hawaii" textbook.
One might expect this attitude from his kind, but political correctness now goes all the way to the top and American military personnel are paying the price.
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UPDATE, May 10, 2010: All three SEALS Acquitted: Report details depravity of SEALS’ accuser
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