U.S. military changes Afghan prison procedures after review prompted by allegations o

[thedrifter]

U.S. military changes Afghan prison procedures after review prompted by allegations of abuse

By Stephen Graham
ASSOCIATED PRESS
7:20 a.m. June 14, 2004

KABUL, Afghanistan – The U.S. military is changing procedures at its jails in Afghanistan following a review prompted by prisoner abuse allegations, the military said Monday, although it declined to give details of the changes.

The military is acting on the interim findings of an American general who visited American jails across the country, without waiting for his final report, spokesman Lt. Col. Tucker Mansager said.

"We're taking action on those (findings) as they come forward, evaluating them, implementing some of them, deferring some of them and planning some of the rest of them out," Mansager told a news conference in Kabul.

He declined to describe the report's suggestions or the changes made.

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. David Barno, ordered the review last month as the scandal over detainee abuse in Iraq drew new attention to alleged mistreatment in Afghanistan, including three deaths in custody.

Brig. Gen. Charles Jacoby, Barno's deputy operational chief, visited all of the about 20 American holding facilities, most at bases in the south and east where 20,000 U.S.-led troops are battling Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents.

Jacoby will give his final report to Barno in the coming days, and some of the findings will be made public by early July "after a review process," Mansager said.

"It'll come out as a consolidated, cohesive and comprehensive package," he said.

Earlier this month, Barno pledged rapid action if Jacoby finds faults in the secretive prison network, but said details of techniques used on suspects will remain classified.

Two detainees died at the U.S. military's main Bagram base, north of Kabul, in December 2002. Both were ruled homicides after autopsies found the men had died from "blunt-force injuries."

The military says it has made a number of unspecified changes to its prisons as a result of the deaths. But it has yet to release results of its criminal investigations.

The death of another detainee in eastern Afghanistan in June 2003 is also under investigation by the Central Intelligence Agency, and the military is probing allegations of mistreatment brought by two former detainees last month – including beatings, the use of hoods and sexual abuse.

One, an Afghan police colonel told The Associated Press he was beaten, stripped naked and sexually abused and humiliated while in U.S. custody for nearly 40 days last year at three American bases.

The allegations are similar to those against several U.S. soldiers for alleged acts of torture and sexual humiliation in Iraq. Siddiqui first made the allegations in a complaint to an Afghan rights group in August 2003, well before the Iraqi cases became public.

The military says some 2,000 prisoners have been held at the jails since U.S. troops entered Afghanistan in late 2001. At least 390 are currently in custody.

Mansager said another 90 people detained during recent military operations in southern Zabul province would be treated with "dignity and respect." Some may be released after initial questioning, while others will be transferred to Bagram, he said.

Fierce fighting in Zabul since May 25 has killed more than 80 militants. Detainees from such operations are usually held at local bases and moved to Bagram if they are believed to be Taliban or al-Qaeda suspects.

Facing pressure to open jails to outside scrutiny, the U.S. military announced last week it would allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit its holding facility in the main southern city of Kandahar. It has previously allowed the group access only to the jail at Bagram.

The U.S. military has so far refused to allow Afghanistan's human rights commission into any of its prisons.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20040614-0720-afghan-us-prisonerabuse.html


Ellie

[thedrifter]

MEU Marine speaks softly, but in six different languages
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 20046170387
Story by Sgt. Matt Preston



FORWARD OPERATING BASE RIPLEY, Afghanistan (June 17, 2004 ) -- A Marine from MEU Service Support Group 22 is using a unique gift to assist the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) with its mission in Afghanistan.

For his efforts, Lance Cpl. Prashant Shah was recently awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for using his extraordinary linguistic skills to assist the MEU to overcome the language barrier between U.S. forces and Afghan locals at Forward Operating Base Ripley.

"Being proficient in several languages, he would coordinate with the drivers and explain to them what to do," said Lt. Col. Benjamin Braden, MSSG-22 Commanding Officer. "For a lance corporal, it's a pretty big mission. He's done outstanding."

Shah speaks not two or three, but six languages - English, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Urdu, and Pashto. Many of Shah comrades initially didn't believe his linguistic prowess - until he started speaking with the natives.

"They say I'm lying," said Shah, speaking of when he talks to other Marines about his gift. "Then they say, 'Alright, talk to this guy.' Then I do."

Being able to speak in languages the locals can understand, Shah has been coordinating with numerous local contractors and trucking agencies that help the construction of Forward Operating Base Ripley continue.

"He's so vital to the logistics mission here," said 1st Lt. Juan Fernandez, the MSSG-22 supply officer. "Without him, we couldn't do it. We get about 20-25 jingle trucks a day. If there's any problems, he'll calm them down."

Part of his skill comes from his upbringing. Originally from Baroda, India, Shah came to Lincoln Park, N.J., in 2001 with his mother. India is a land of 14 official languages and even more dialects.

Many of the languages of the region are related, which allows Shah to pick up similarities between them quickly. Shah said he learned Urdu floating across the Atlantic on the way to Afghanistan by practicing with a fellow Marine who knew the language.

In speaking with the locals, Shah has found the presence of the Marine Corps and other coalition forces a reassuring factor in the lives of the Afghanis.

"They like when we're here because they're not attacked," said Shah. "We give jobs to the locals. I think we're doing a great job. They also feel safe on the roads, especially the truck drivers, because we have checkpoints.

Because of his ethnic background, Shah is a curiosity to local Afghanis. He's often questioned about his military career.

"The first question they ask is how I joined the Marine Corps," said Shah. "The second most asked question is how they can join."

Shah has show great promise with his ambitions in the Marine Corps.

"He's on a good road for success," said Staff Sgt. Kirby Wilson, MSSG-22 supply warehouse chief. "He's on the right path."

Shah is currently pursuing U.S. citizenship in hopes of becoming eligible for the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) and perhaps one day becoming a Naval aviator.

The 22nd MEU (SOC) is in Afghanistan conducting combat and civil military operations as Task Force Linebacker for Combined Joint Task Force 76 in the Oruzgan province.

For more information on the 22nd MEU (SOC)'s role in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, visit the unit's web site at www.22meu.usmc.mil.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200461704232/$file/Shah_Low.jpg

Lance Cpl. Prashant Shah, a warehouse specialist with MEU Service Support Group 22, leads a group of Afgahni workers to a work site at Forward Operating Base Ripley, Afghanistan in the midst of a dust storm. Shah, who hails from Lincoln Park, N.J., has been acting as a translator for the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). Photo by: Sgt. Matt Preston

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/8E2CEC76F7F4BC2385256EB600197681?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines and Sailors save the life of wounded Taliban fighter
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 2004615105521
Story by Capt. Eric Dent



FORWARD OPERATING BASE RIPLEY, Afghanistan (June 16, 2004) -- Two hours earlier they were hunting him down and now they were hurrying to save his life.

Marines with Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines and Afghan Militia Forces engaged three enemy fighters on a mountainside June 13. The guerillas were tracking and reporting on the BLT's activities when coalition forces opened fire and wounded at least one of them.

Corporal Brad Kerr, originally from Rock Hill, S.C, used the high-powered optical sights on his TOW missile system to observe the fleeing enemy fighters and to confirm that one was indeed wounded. As the other Taliban escaped into the mountains the wounded man was left for dead.

Sergeant Dan Trackwell, a native of Klamath Falls, Oregon, and member of the Combined Anti-Armor Team, was one of the four Marines who ventured up the mountain to find the enemy.

"We went up the mountain and found the wounded guy hiding behind a rock," said Trackwell. He and Cpl. Jesse Clingan, of Uniontown, Pa., determined that the fighter had lost a lot of blood and appeared to be in severe pain.

Corporal Daniel Dimaso, a 22-year old from Hopewell Junction, New York, stripped off his own t-shirt and made a tourniquet to control the bleeding from the gunshot wound on the guerilla's lower left leg, while Pvt. 1st Class Daniel Fondonella, from Mt. Vernon, N.Y., provided security.

"We gave him first aid and made the tourniquet, but he looked like he was going into shock," said Clingan. "We knew we had to get him off the mountain or he would die."

Gathering up the injured man, the Marines signaled for the corpsman at the vehicles in the canyon to prepare for their arrival. Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian Dessel, a corpsman assigned to the BLT, immediately went up to the base of the hill with Cpl. Joshua Jackson where he met up with Trackwell, who carried the enemy down the mountain. The corpsman made a quick assessment after looking at the patient and radioed that immediate additional medical care was needed.

Dessel, of Doylestown, Pa., said the first aid performed by the Marines saved the life of the enemy, but knew more was needed to keep him alive.

The CAAT Marines brought him to the battalion's command post where the battalion surgeon, Navy Lt. Brendon Drew, joined Dessel to examine the man.

"He's going to need surgery within 4-6 hours," said Drew, after noting the severity of the wound. He instructed the Marines to keep an eye on the patient to ensure he did not fall asleep while he and Dessel worked on the wound.

The Marines stood beside the patient taking turns holding the IV bag and blocking the bright Afghan sun from his eyes, as Drew and Dessel continued to work on the patient.

Rummaging through his medical bag, Drew looked up at the CAAT Marines and Dessel and said, "Good work. This is what it looks like when the Marines do it right." Drew explained that the immediate medical attention and the quick intervention from the corpsman saved a life.

After the patient was stabilized, he was placed on a stretcher and repositioned nearby to a shady spot to wait on a helicopter. When the helicopter arrived, ironically it was the same CAAT Marines who were hunting him down an hour before who carried him through ankle deep water and across a giant, dusty landing zone where he could be evacuated to a nearby military medical facility.

After he recovers, the enemy will be questioned to determine the extent of his involvement in recent fighting with Marine forces.

"I hope we can get some information from him eventually," Trackwell said.

"This shows that we are adhering to the rules and basic humanity," said Maj. Brian Christmas, the BLT operations officer, as he remarked on the treating of a wounded enemy.

The 22nd MEU is operating as Task Force Linebacker supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The MEU consists of its Command Element, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (Rein.) 266, and MEU Service Support Group 22.

For more information on the 22nd MEU (SOC) visit the unit's web site at www.22meu.usmc.mil.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004615105820/$file/W-Talib_Low.jpg

Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) help a wounded Taliban fighter from a vehicle June 13, 2004, in central Afghanistan. The wounded fighter was later flown via helicopter to a military hospital where he received additional medical care. Photo by: Capt. Eric Dent

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/E3721CFC7C1ABBFA85256EB40051F8E4?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

'Alone and Unafraid' plunges deep into Afghan heartland
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 20046182412
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks



FORWARD OPERATING BASE RIPLEY, Afghanistan (June 18, 2004 ) -- Years from now, when the Marines and Sailors of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) swap stories about their time in Afghanistan, there will be one common thread through all their tales.

On nearly every operation the MEU has undertaken since its arrival in Afghanistan, from vehicular reconnaissance patrols in early April to combat offensives of recent weeks, a single armored Humvee has led the way.

Dubbed 'Alone and Unafraid' by its crew, this particular Humvee has covered more miles of desolate Afghan countryside than perhaps any other in the 22nd MEU (SOC).

Sgt. Maj. Thomas Hall, of Bardstown, Kentucky, is the senior enlisted Marine of Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, the MEU's ground combat element, and heads up the vehicle's three-Marine crew.

A former tanker with a keen eye for terrain, Hall and his Marines spend their days scouting routes for vehicle convoys, picking out spots for units to remain overnight in the field, and determining where helicopters can safely land to conduct resupply or evacuation missions.

"We're the ones people call in the middle of the night when they need to find a way in and out of these areas," Hall explained as he bounced down a dry riverbed leading a supply convoy to units in the field during Operation RIO BRAVO in mid-May. "We figure out the best way to get the job done."

With Largo, Florida native Lance Cpl. Jorge Granados in the driver's seat and Sgt. Richard Martinez of Lubbock, Texas manning the Humvee's .50-caliber machine gun, 'Alone and Unafraid' has been in the field since April 24, bouncing from operation to operation and unit to unit.

"We're almost never with the same unit two nights in a row," said Granados. "It keeps it interesting going from place to place."

"We've seen more of Afghanistan than anyone except maybe CAAT," added Martinez from his perch in the gunner's ring mount atop the Humvee, alluding to BLT 1/6's Combined Anti-Armor Team of machine gun and anti-tank equipped Humvees, "and even that would be a close call."

For example, during RIO BRAVO in Afghanistan's mountainous Oruzgan province, 'Alone and Unafraid' escorted seven-ton trucks from MEU Service Support Group 22 laden with water, food, and mail to each of BLT 1/6's three rifle companies and attached units. Staying overnight with Alpha Company one night, back at Forward Operating Base Payne the next, and with Charlie Company the third, the job gave Hall a unique perspective on his unit's Marines.

According to Hall, the visits help him gauge how the Marines are doing in terms of morale and physical condition, things he reports back to the commander of BLT 1/6, Lt. Col. Asad Khan.

"I love riding with the sergeant major," explained Granados. "Like I said, it's always something new and wherever we go we know that's where the action is."

When elements of BLT 1/6 recently got into a firefight with anti-coalition militia deep in a mountain range and emerged with wounded Marines, a wounded Taliban fighter, and two battlefield detainees, Hall, Granados, and Martinez were there to meet them. Providing the exhausted and thirsty Marines with water, Hall sent his Marines down to help bring up the wounded and then escorted them back to BLT 1/6's battlefield headquarters.

"I liked it when I was with CAAT," said Martinez, a machine gunner by trade, "but being out here with Sergeant Major Hall ... I wouldn't trade it for anything."

In addition to BLT 1/6 and MSSG-22, the 22nd MEU (SOC) consists of its Command Element, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced) and the Army's 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment from the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Light). The unit is in Afghanistan conducting combat and civil military operations as Task Force Linebacker.

For more information on the 22d MEU (SOC)'s role in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, visit the unit's web site at www.22meu.usmc.mil.


[img]http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200461825919/$file/SgtMaj-Hall_low.jpg[img]

Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines Sgt. Maj. Thomas Hall walks alongside a road in Afghanistan during recent combat operations. Hall and BLT 1/6 is part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) deployed to central Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom. Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/BC4F4F610BEB868485256EB70024B767?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

'Skid duo' proves to be a lethal combination in Afghanistan skies
Submitted by: 22nd MEU
Story Identification #: 200462203910
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks



FORWARD OPERATING BASE RIPLEY, Afghanistan (June 22, 2004) -- As the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) entered its second month of operations in Afghanistan, the unit's AH-1W Super Cobra and UH-1N Huey flight crews thought they might leave the country without firing a shot.

For more than a month, these helicopters were a constant presence overhead as troops on the ground pushed further into central Afghanistan scouring the region for weapons caches and anti-coalition militia, yet remained out of the action.

"Mainly we just flew escort missions," said Gunnery Sgt. Andrew Radford, of Flagstaff, Ariz., an UH-1N Huey crew chief assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced), the MEU's aviation combat element. "We had the route from Kandahar to Tarin Kowt [site of the MEU's forward operating base] almost memorized."

Yet all that changed June 2.

When anti-coalition forces on the ground fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at two Marine aircraft on a reconnaissance mission that morning, they unknowingly sparked off a string of firefights that would finally bring these war birds into the fray.

"Normally we'd fly in dedicated sections of two Cobras or two Hueys," said Capt. Benoit Letendre, a Huey pilot, "but here in Afghanistan there's no armored threat so each flight doesn't need the firepower of two Snakes [Super Cobras]."

With that in mind, and seeking to capitalize on each aircraft's unique capabilities, the MEU flies its Cobras and Hueys in what they call a 'skid duo,' so named because of the aircraft's use of skids instead of wheels like the other helicopters in HMM-266 (Rein).

"We fly mixed sections because the aircraft compliment one another," said Radford.

While the Super Cobra, a dedicated attack helicopter, packs a heavy punch with its 20mm cannon, rockets, and precision-guided munitions, the Huey, a utility helicopter by trade, provides the team with an extra set of eyes that has proven essential for successful combat operations in Afghanistan's rugged terrain.

"The guys we're fighting are smart," said Letendre. "Between fighting the Soviets and their civil war, they've gotten very adept at using the terrain to their advantage. There's no shortage of places to hide."

While the tandem seating of the Cobra's two-person crew gives them exceptional observation to the front, their fields of view to the side and rear are limited, and that's where the Huey's side-by-side pilot/co-pilot seating configuration and two crew chiefs come in.

"We can look to the side and rear much better than the Cobras," Radford said, acknowledging that what the Huey lacks in firepower it makes up for with a nearly unrestricted view of the terrain below. "We're behind the guns and can keep an eye on the ground while the pilots focus on the front and flying."

During the engagement on June 2, after a volley of enemy rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun fire failed to find their mark against a skid duo, the door gunners on the Huey immediately responded with their machine guns. Their fire helped mark the target for a follow-on strike by the more heavily-armed Cobras.

Capt. Jimmy Brown, of San Jose, Calif. is a Super Cobra pilot and credits the aircraft combination with the MEU's success in its recent fighting against Taliban and anti-coalition forces.

"The terrain here is lot different than Iraq where the enemy was more defined," he said. "The Hueys help us pick out targets we might otherwise miss in this terrain and we can fly in and help close the door on the enemy."

Additionally, because the Huey crew chiefs can work on both their aircraft and the Super Cobras, field repairs are possible in the event of a mechanical problem.

"If either aircraft goes down with a minor problem," Letendre said, "one of the crew chiefs can grab a tool box, fix the problem, and get the aircraft back in the fight."

Because of the wide range of armament carried by the two aircraft, their presence during a firefight gives forward air controllers on the ground a greater flexibility in calling in support.

"There may be times when the enemy is too close to our forces for the Cobras to engage with rockets or cannon," said Radford, "but the Huey can get in with our machine guns so the mix of weapons between the Cobras and Hueys is really good."

In the days following the first sustained firefight on June 2, skid duos flew in near constant support of the MEU's ground combat element as it continued its drive against enemy forces.

In addition to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced), the 22nd MEU (SOC) consists of its Command Element, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, and MEU Service Support Group 22. The MEU is in Afghanistan conducting combat and civil military operations as Task Force Linebacker alongside elements of the Army's 25th Infantry Division.

For more information on the 22nd MEU (SOC)'s role in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, visit the unit's web site at www.22meu.usmc.mil.


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200462204125/$file/Skids_Cobra_Low.jpg

An AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 (Reinforced), the aviation combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), conducts a gun run against Taliban insurgents during a recent fire fight. The MEU has been using its Super Cobras alongside UH-1N Huey helicopters in what has been called a 'skid duo.' Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Keith A. Milks

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/5FD9EE7D85B81F2F85256EBB00198F02?opendocument


Ellie