Posted on Aug 6, 2015
"Accused Taliban fighter says U.S. helicopters killed insurgents 'like insects'"
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From: Yahoo News
RICHMOND, Va. (Reuters) - U.S. helicopters gunned down Taliban fighters "like insects" during a failed 2009 attack in Afghanistan, an accused Taliban fighter said in a videotaped interview with the FBI shown during his trial on Wednesday.
Irek Hamidullin, a former Soviet tank officer who converted to Islam, is charged with coordinating the November 2009 attack on an Afghan Border Police base. He is the first Afghan War military combatant to be tried in U.S. federal court.
Hamidullin called off the assault after insurgents' weapons malfunctioned, and his roughly 30 men fell back, he told the FBI in a videotaped 2010 interview. Shortly afterward, U.S. reconnaissance and Apache attack helicopters swooped in.
"Helicopters shoot us like insects," Hamidullin said in the interview played for jurors in U.S. District Court. He was the sole Taliban survivor of the attack. No American or Afghan troops were killed.
Hamidullin, who was born in 1959, was charged last year with 15 criminal counts ranging from supporting terrorists to firearms offenses stemming from the assault in eastern Afghanistan's Khost province.
Hamidullin has repeatedly insisted during 15 separate interviews with the FBI that he never fired his own AK-47 during the attack on Camp Leyza in Afghanistan's Khost Province.
Earlier this week two U.S. soldiers, including one who shot Hamidullin, testified that they had seen muzzle flashes from his rifle before they fired.
"I got injured before I was able to shoot," Hamidullin told interviewers in English, one of several languages in which he is proficient.
Hamidullin was held by the Pentagon in an Afghan prison for five years before being brought to the United States for trial. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Ronald Comers, an FBI special agent who helped interview Hamidullin, testified that the defendant, a Soviet tank commander in the early 1980s, found Islam in 1996 and became involved in what Hamidullin described as jihad, an Islamic holy war.
Comers was the 18th witness called by the prosecution in the trial, which began on Thursday. The case is expected to go to jurors on Friday.
http://news.yahoo.com/accused-taliban-says-u-helicopters-killed-insurgents-insects-190007774.html?nf=1
RICHMOND, Va. (Reuters) - U.S. helicopters gunned down Taliban fighters "like insects" during a failed 2009 attack in Afghanistan, an accused Taliban fighter said in a videotaped interview with the FBI shown during his trial on Wednesday.
Irek Hamidullin, a former Soviet tank officer who converted to Islam, is charged with coordinating the November 2009 attack on an Afghan Border Police base. He is the first Afghan War military combatant to be tried in U.S. federal court.
Hamidullin called off the assault after insurgents' weapons malfunctioned, and his roughly 30 men fell back, he told the FBI in a videotaped 2010 interview. Shortly afterward, U.S. reconnaissance and Apache attack helicopters swooped in.
"Helicopters shoot us like insects," Hamidullin said in the interview played for jurors in U.S. District Court. He was the sole Taliban survivor of the attack. No American or Afghan troops were killed.
Hamidullin, who was born in 1959, was charged last year with 15 criminal counts ranging from supporting terrorists to firearms offenses stemming from the assault in eastern Afghanistan's Khost province.
Hamidullin has repeatedly insisted during 15 separate interviews with the FBI that he never fired his own AK-47 during the attack on Camp Leyza in Afghanistan's Khost Province.
Earlier this week two U.S. soldiers, including one who shot Hamidullin, testified that they had seen muzzle flashes from his rifle before they fired.
"I got injured before I was able to shoot," Hamidullin told interviewers in English, one of several languages in which he is proficient.
Hamidullin was held by the Pentagon in an Afghan prison for five years before being brought to the United States for trial. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Ronald Comers, an FBI special agent who helped interview Hamidullin, testified that the defendant, a Soviet tank commander in the early 1980s, found Islam in 1996 and became involved in what Hamidullin described as jihad, an Islamic holy war.
Comers was the 18th witness called by the prosecution in the trial, which began on Thursday. The case is expected to go to jurors on Friday.
http://news.yahoo.com/accused-taliban-says-u-helicopters-killed-insurgents-insects-190007774.html?nf=1
Posted in these groups: 
Taliban
Afghanistan
Taliban Afghanistan
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 20
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What's as astonishing now as it was back then, that a perp like this was afforded every legal right and defense that a good old-fashioned American citizen has. The perp was captured on the battlefield waging war against US, yet he is treated like a white collar suspect given tax paid lawyers and all. Like someone said, if these people do defeat US it will be by using our own freedoms against US. sad commentary for US
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I'm still trying to figure our why an enemy combatant is being put on trial?
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Capt Walter Miller
Exactly. And as a member of the Armed Forces -- you WANT the GC to apply as broadly as possible. And the -intent- of the GC is to cover everyone engaged in armed conflict. Why would any such be left out?
What the Bush Administration --needlessly-- did in this area 10-15 years ago was a big 'screw you" to our military.
Walt
What the Bush Administration --needlessly-- did in this area 10-15 years ago was a big 'screw you" to our military.
Walt
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Capt Walter Miller
Here is some more detail on this.
"In Boumediene v. Bush (2008), the Supreme Court had ruled for the first time that Guantánamo detainees were entitled to submit habeas corpus petitions directly to federal judges in Washington to determine whether the U.S. government had enough evidence to justify their continued open-ended detention without charge.
The decision said in part:
“We do consider it uncontroversial … that the privilege of habeas corpus entitles the prisoner to a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate he is being [unlawfully] held.”[35] The decision added: “The habeas court must have sufficient authority to conduct a meaningful review of both the cause for detention and the Executive’s power to detain.”[35]
Following the Boumediene decision, federal judges began closely scrutinizing the quality of evidence offered by the government. Government lawyers started losing cases."
- wiki
"In Boumediene v. Bush (2008), the Supreme Court had ruled for the first time that Guantánamo detainees were entitled to submit habeas corpus petitions directly to federal judges in Washington to determine whether the U.S. government had enough evidence to justify their continued open-ended detention without charge.
The decision said in part:
“We do consider it uncontroversial … that the privilege of habeas corpus entitles the prisoner to a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate he is being [unlawfully] held.”[35] The decision added: “The habeas court must have sufficient authority to conduct a meaningful review of both the cause for detention and the Executive’s power to detain.”[35]
Following the Boumediene decision, federal judges began closely scrutinizing the quality of evidence offered by the government. Government lawyers started losing cases."
- wiki
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Capt Walter Miller
Ever hear of Everett Alvarez?
"In one of the first interrogations, I gave my name, rank and service number and said that’s all I can give you. They asked why, and I said that was according to the Geneva Convention. They said, “Geneva Convention? We don’t recognize that. You are a criminal!” In the meantime, I’m really hurting and sick from the food with diarrhea and dysentery. Then, after about three weeks, they suddenly bring me some Western food from a restaurant, an omelet and French fries. Then about six weeks of real interrogations began. It was exhausting."
http://www.historynet.com/interview-everett-alvarez-a-vietnam-pow-for-the-duration.htm
Walt
"In one of the first interrogations, I gave my name, rank and service number and said that’s all I can give you. They asked why, and I said that was according to the Geneva Convention. They said, “Geneva Convention? We don’t recognize that. You are a criminal!” In the meantime, I’m really hurting and sick from the food with diarrhea and dysentery. Then, after about three weeks, they suddenly bring me some Western food from a restaurant, an omelet and French fries. Then about six weeks of real interrogations began. It was exhausting."
http://www.historynet.com/interview-everett-alvarez-a-vietnam-pow-for-the-duration.htm
Walt
Interview - Everett Alvarez - A Vietnam POW for the Duration
A few hours after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964, Navy A4 pilot Everett Alvarez was shot down on a bombing mission near Hanoi, the first U.S. aviator taken captive during the Vietnam War
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1SG (Join to see)
Capt Walter Miller - Under the Geneva Conventions, such combatants as this would fall under "non-uniformed combatants, partisans, and saboteurs" and as such subject to summary execution.
I say apply this standard liberally.
I say apply this standard liberally.
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Pharrell Williams - Happy (Official Music Video)
Get Pharrell's album G I R L on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/GIRLitunes Get Pharrell's album G I R L on Amazon: http://smarturl.it/GIRLamazonMP3 Get Pharrell's...
This makes me happy.
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Capt Walter Miller
All that said, I have a big ‘boo-hoo-hoo’ for anyone attacking our guys who complains about getting lit up by our gunship helicopters. Being treated like an insect is too good for you if you are resisting.
Walt
Walt
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"Afghan War military combatant to be tried in U.S. federal court."
I am confident this enemy combatant will not gain full protection under the Constitution and Bill of Rights as an American citizen in U. S. federal court. Right? Isn't there a military court on our Cuban base for this fellow?
I am confident this enemy combatant will not gain full protection under the Constitution and Bill of Rights as an American citizen in U. S. federal court. Right? Isn't there a military court on our Cuban base for this fellow?
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That's both motivating and encouraging. Wage war with a purpose or not at all.
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He’s former soviet tank officer. Let’s find him guilty then send him back to mother russia to go on trial there.
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