ENGLISH POW IN IRAQ SPEAKS OF US ARMY ABUSE.

MR GENTRIX.
Thats a brilliant start; some incisive questioning there, which leads me to think you are one of the more intelligent posters on this forum!

Where are the others please, from the likes of DLOWAN, PUEO, RICK D'ISRAELI, CRAVEN DE KERE, OSSOBUCCO, JAMES MORRISON and the rest.

I am ready if you all are; if you really want the truth and are doubtful, give me more questions so that I can then answer them all in the one of the best postings this forum has ever seen! Oh dear, that was far too theatrical wasn't it?

Anyway, thanks to Mr Gentrix for kicking this game off; MORE PLEASE.

MT.

fairly

I think everyone is actually waiting for some answers to initial questions before investing too much into further questions.

There was a newspaper story today of British soldiers beating Iraqi prisoners, in at least one case to death. The accusation has been made by a returned Brit soldier.

OK, HERE WE GO THEN, WITH THANKS TO
MR GENTRIX.

Q1. Why was your half-Iraqi daughter still in the country if you knew a war was impending? Why did you not try to get her before the fighting started?

A1. My daughter was born in Baghdad on the 27th July 2001. My Iraqi girlfriend left the UK when she was pregnant to visit her mother and was unable to return to the UK to continue her studies as her family took a very strict line against our relationship. I always expected my 'family' to come out of Iraq to the UK but I wasn't aware that her step brother had taken her travel documents and threatened her with violence.


Q2. Quote: "I travelled to Iraq with the full knowledge of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Baghdad, the US Embassy in Ankara, the Turkish Prime Minister and also certain units of the US Army".
Did you have documentation of this knowledge? Visa's, permission slips, letter of intent? Anything? I have no idea what you mean when you say they had knowledge.

A2. Yes, I had documentation of this knowledge; meaning that the CPA / US Army know who I was and why I was going to Iraq. When I was in Ankara (capital of Turkey as you all know!) I personally delivered a letter to the US Ambassador, explaining my visit to Iraq to give out soft toys and to find my daughter. An officer in the Embassy emailed the CPA and certain units of the US Army to say I was coming to Iraq and why. I had this email on my person when I was captured but the soldiers were more interested in calling me a "mother ******" than testing their reading skills on my documents. I had media articles and other letters too, but these were never checked.

Q3. Quote: "Despite this, I was forcibly captured by the US Army as I walked down a street in Sulaimaniyah (North Iraq)".

A3. I was rushed as I walked down the street and grabbed. It was not a checkpoint but near an operation against some Turkish Special Forces that had recently finished.

Q4.Quote: "I was captured on the 4th of July along with soldiers of the Turkish Special Forces and was treated like a terrorist suspect - kicked, beaten and spat at. I was cuffed and a plastic bag was put on my head. On my person was 100% documentary proof as to why I was in Iraq. Despite this I was bundled into a truck along with the non-uniformed Turk soldiers and driven to Kirkuk Airbase.
Why were you hanging out with a bunch of Turkish special forces? What was your 100% documentary proof? Obviously they didn't just pick you out of a crowd and say "Let's mess with that guy!". There must have been something about you that made them detain you.

A4. I was walking near the building where the Turks were; I was not with them and had never met them before we were thrown in a truck together. I had my UK passport, faxes to the Turkish Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Military Chief of Staff, communications with the KDP and so on. I do not know, to this day, why they picked me up as I was only walking down the street. If they thought I was with the Turks then why didn't they release me with them?


Q5. Quote: "US soldiers said I was a terrorist. They "accidentally" cut my hand when they took my plastic handcuffs off with a knife and my hearing was permanently impaired the next day when they flew us to Baghdad in a Chinook Helicopter without ear protection.
You imply they cut you on purpose, but what purpose would that serve? Typically they would avoid any permanent scarring or blood drawing because if it were truly nefarious, you would then have evidenciary proof of maltreatment. As far as the helicopter ride, I have no idea as I have never been in a chinook. I'll take your word on that one.

A5. I look down at the scar on my left hand now; indeed yes, it is powerful evidence. It may have been an accident.....or not. As we had sand bags on our head when we were in the detention centre at Kirkuk Airbase (the pm of 4th July '03) they did not know my english was perfect. I heard things that were said by the soldiers that are not repeatable here, suffice to say some were itching to kick the **** out of us as they believed we were dangerous. I remember all the words of hate.

Q6. Quote: "We were all dressed in orange, in a 'Guantanamo Bay' suit, and denied any rights".

A6. Ok, point taken on the orange suit. As to rights denied - made to **** in a cardboard box, piss in empty water bottles, denied water.....and I was sat on the floor of a truck which threw me far into the air as it went over bumps. With my hands cuffed behind my back my wrists could easily have been broken.

Q7. Quote: "The Turks were released on the 6th of July but I remained in custody for three weeks under 24/7 armed guard".
Were you being cooperative? Was your 100% documentation real? There must have been a reason why you were detained so long. I doubt that they just did it to piss you off as they did have other worries such as the insurgency, helping the civilian population, not being shot, etc...

A7. Yes, I was very co-operative and my documents were real. I do not know why I was held other than the fact that they thought I was a terrorist.

Q8. Quote: "Yes, even as I slept (dreaming of my missing child), M16's were pointed at me just two metres away".

A8. So how would you describe having M16's pointed at you for three weeks solid. THINK ABOUT IT FRIEND !

Your earlier question about who interrogated me.
I was questioned twice, first at Kirkuk Airbase on the 5th of July by an officer in uniform - I noted his name. The second round of questioning was done at Baghdad Airport by men out of uniform with senior US Army officers in the room. Until I left I didn't see these men at the back of the room. I was coperative.

Where is JamesMorrison and where are the others? Are you afraid of the truth or do you believe it already?

Come on!

I believe you Michael and am watching. I haven't said anything more because I simply don't know what to say or how to help you, but believe that my heart is going out to you.

Thank you Montana; I appreciate your thoughts.

MT.

Michael, why do you suppose they thought you were a terrorist?

Was it an understandable mistake by your estimation?

Was it simple incompetence by your estimation?

Was it malice by your estimation?

Thats amazing CDV, I was just about to click off something for you and here you are!

OK, thanks for that. I will answer quickly but I have to dash off - a UK newspaper is waiting on a fax from me.

Q1. Michael, why do you suppose they thought you were a terrorist?

A1. I have no idea why they thought I was a terrorist but I believe the thinking of some US soldiers is similar to that of a lot of posters on this forum and on Pravda. They just couldn't accept the truth that one man wandered into a war because he loved his child and wanted to save her.

Q2. Was it an understandable mistake by your estimation?

Q2. No way was it an understandable mistake as I had 100% documantation on me. Had I not been carrying any documents then the actions of the soldiers would have been more understandable. They wanted me to be a terrorist and thats how they treated me; it suited they're hyperbolic mindset!

Q3. Was it simple incompetence by your estimation?

A3. That is a word I will not use, suffice to say that the soldiers who first grabbed me were probably still teenagers. Clearly they had orders, but why the hell didn't they check my documents before they punched me, spat and me and all the rest?

Q4. Was it malice by your estimation?

A4. Whatever it was, they clearly made themselves believe whatever they had been told about me. I am sure the US Army raided the Turks thinking that they actually were plotting to assasinate the major or Kirkuk. Perhaps they assumed I was part of it? But yes, there was some malice around; there was clearly a desire to beat the crap out of us as well. After all, who the hell would see? When I was kicked to the ground (etc) we were in an enclosed back yard.


Keep them coming please; I'll be back tomorrow.

That's an easy way to think about it but I doubt it's an accurate one. You might consider that westerners in that region at this moment tend to be journalists or they are there to fight.

I think it understandable for a soldier to think you might be one of the westerners who go to join extremists.

In Iraq/Afghanistan where the US soldiers have been active there have been more westerners going there to join militias than to look for their children (as far as I am aware).



How hard would it have been for someone to create similar documentation? Do you consider it possible that they suspected it was part of your "cover"?

More questions:

Do you plan to sue for this? Are you already in the process?

CRAVEN DE KERE.

Thanks for that and for your aware thinking.

There are few cases that I know of personally relating to foreign fighters in the north of iraq. Do you know of any? Yes, there are journalists there but I never met any, other than ones from Kurdistan TV.

Ok, so whatever the soldiers thought, why didn't they check the documents? That's the bottom line. One phone call to the US embassy in Ankara would have confirmed everything, or even one to the UK embassy in the same city. Hell, they had satellite phones so why not?

I agree, yes, it is unusual for a westerner to be in Iraq looking for his child. Unusual, thats why I made sure as many people as possible knew I was going and why, exactly to avoid any misunderstandings. I reasoned that if I informed people fully and carried full ID I would always have proof of why I was there if challenged by anyone. Clearly though, I underestimated the power of 'military mind washing'.

As for someone creating forged documents; of course that would have been possible, but I doubt any 'foreign fighter' mind have even thought of as "cover" as 'unlikely' as my story. My Passport with stamps in, my North Iraq entry certificate, original fax transmission reports, emails, original newspaper articles and so forth. There were soldiers who openly said my story was bullshit. Of course, I explained it heatedly every time I wasn't told to "shut the **** up, you ******* mother ******", but it was clearly beyond them. One said my passport was a forgery and another classic line, as I was thrown into the back of the truck with my hands tied behind my back and a sand bag on my head was, "you'll have to think of a better story than that, you ******* ****". They were not prepared to entertain or admit the notion that a tiny piece of sand could have come from a beach.

Seems that you are the only person interested in the truth so I thank you for that. Are the others increasingly afraid of been proven wrong I wonder, or are they hard-core fence sitters, hiding in forums using funny names?

I am in discussion with Lawyers in the USA and UK.

MONTANA.

Hi. As you can see, all is quite now. Those who doubted me are afraid to come back into the light and ask questions. Just as the American soldiers never said sorry, neither have the hostile posters on this forum. Nevertheless, I forgive them as they knew not what they were talking about.

At the weekend my 11 year old son watched with me the aftermath of the bombing in Kirkuk, North Iraq, not knowing if his step sister was injured (or worse) in the attack.

So Montana, it must be pleasing for you to know that following your heart is a good way to live; what you thought originally about this story has proven to be absolutely correct. If it was false then those who questioned me wouldn't have given up so easily!

So, as ever, all roads lead to truth!

Keep watching this story; it has only just begun!

michael. I hope you kick their asses!

Michael
You and your daughter will remain in my thoughts. I wish you the very best in finding tour daughter and getting justice for how you were treated.

not giving up, just wondering what exactly are you trying to accomplish.

btw, most of your explanations/statements still leave me skeptical.

Oh boy.

Michael, I never said I doubted you. I said one hmmmmm - which seems to have become mightily exaggerated in your mind.

Then - I commented on your hyperbole.

You proceedeed to hyperbole on, but then answered some questions seemingly quite reasonably, after a sort of stamping and bellowing ritual.

I am STILL sceptical - largely because of your manner - but I have no particular reason to question your account - EXCEPT that right here, on this board, you see opponents instead of reasonable questioners - you continue to bellow and stamp and ask for hostility where no real hostility has been expressed.

Why?

Is this your persona? Your personality? Is it a cultural misunderstanding? A result of your experiences? Did you behave thus to your captors?

You see, just as an example, you are continually misinterpreting and exaggerating my behaviour. This leads me to wonder about your ability to judge anyone's behaviour/intentions.

Can you SEE why your manner invites doubt, when many here are very inclined to believe you? I am anti the war in Iraq. I am no friend to American militarism. Yet you cast me as an enemy, and carry on like a pork chop, as we say in Oz.

What, actually, do you want here? Unthinking acceptance? Ain't gonna happen. Doesn't happen to anyone. Doesn't mean anyone is against you - it is thr norm here to challenge and question.

What do you WANT us to do?

What else can we expect from a bunch of ill educated frightened teenagers who are told they are on a mission from God. I think Michael is probably very lucky that he is English and would probably be dead if he were an Iraqi

Michael, if the insensitive badgering you received here is typical of your experience I understand your lack of candour.

I do hope you find your daughter.

WILSO.
Thanks for that sentiment; I appreciate your support.
However, are you hoping that I kick the asses (we say arses in the UK) of US Soldiers themselves or of the people who took the decision to detain me for three weeks as a terrorist subject with guns in my face? Tell me more (go on, be explicit!) of what you would like me to do to whoever it is you want me to kick the arses of! You'll have to remember that I am into Ghandian non-violence but I open to all suggestions!! My patience is wearing thin though; no help, no support, no apologies and little progress in terms of getting back to Iraq. I have to confess that I do suffer from occasional violent outbursts (the psychological counselling is helping though). I never explode in front of people though, always behind closed doors. I am just so frustrated; the other day I beat the crap out of a chair and was shocked at my behaviour but felt better afterwards!

MONTANA.
You are the special one! Isn't it good to know that following your heart on this case has turned out to be the correct course of action once again? There are people on this forum who are not listening to their hearts. Some of them remind me of a poster called 'American Samurai' who abused me so much on the Pravda English Forum I think you may have seen my post on this forum and all the hatred it generated. What did you think of it?


PUEO.
Thanks for that; how old are you?
I am trying to find my missing daughter in Iraq; thats what I am trying to accomplish. People need to know what happened to me, do you agree? Or perhaps you think I should remain silent, go back to Iraq and allow the same thing to happen again?
Let me tell you about 'skeptical' my friend. I was captured in Iraq by the US Army and held for three weeks under 24 hour armed guard because they were skeptical! As you will appreciate, I do not like the word skeptical! Each time I see it or hear it, I remember what happened to me in Iraq.
Check the facts out, ask sensible questions and tell me EXACTLY what you are skeptical about. Do it now; pretend you are an American soldier interrogating me if you wish. Kick me while I lay on the floor if you like, or punch me while I have a plastic back over my head in temperatures of over 43 degrees.
Come on, why are you skeptical?

HI DLOWAN.
Thanks for that; I am sorry if I thought you doubted me. You will appreciate that my situation makes me rather sensitive; each day is an ordeal at the moment. Just now I have had an email from Tony Blairs 'Special Envoy for Human Rights in Iraq', saying the same old crap, not answering my questions and not offering to help. This is a Member of the UK Parliament who has strong connections with north iraqi politicians, people who could help me find my daughter over there. She was recommended to me by the UK ambassador in Iraq and yet she does nothing except hyperbowl (!) She could make calls and things would happen but she, like too many others, care too much about themselves and 'political correctness'.

Glad you like the answers I gave to some of the questions; hell, wouldn't you stamp and bellow?

My turn to say 'OH BOY' though! Lets get this out of the way now. Tell me EXACTLY why you are skeptical. Give me your questions NOW please. You can't expect me to behave in the typical manner of other posters on this forum because of, a) what happened to me in Iraq, and b) the abuse I suffered on the Pravda English Forum.

I see opponents because I am very sensitive; I expected people to support my cause, but most of what I get is abuse and skeptical posters. Come on, surely you can understand how I feel my friend?

When have I asked for hostility? Hell, I've had enough of that in Iraq! I want my daughter in my arms, thats all, but few people seem to care about helping me, or even advising me.

Think about what I endured and you will then know what my words are written as they are.

No, I cannot see why my manner invites doubt. Tell me about it because I would prefer to have you as a friend and supporter. Talking of buddies, two of my best friends live in OZ and have invited me over after I have my daughter in my arms. Perhaps we will meet up? I do not think you are my enemy; perhaps you demonstrating that you too are sensitive? So, tell me why my manner invites doubt.

I welcome debate and questions, especially from people who have checked out the facts. I don't want you to do anything if you don't want to, but some advice would be welcome - finding my child, the politicians, the legal stuff, the media.....and so on.

Thanks!

HI GOZMO.
Telling remarks my friend; thanks for the support. You are quite right of course; had I not been english I probably wouldn't be posting on this forum today. Death was close, so *ucking close!

I remember the eyes of the young soldier who grabbed me; he was young, afraid and totally confused when I spoke to him in english. Later, I overheard one 'high-up' US Army officer telling his soldiers that I "spoke excellent english". I can laugh about that now because they really did think I was a terrorist!

Since I began posting I have received more hassle than support, but I will not quit telling this story because people should know about it. How can a man who goes to Iraq to hand out soft toys to the children there and to find his missing daughter be captured, abused, treated like a terrorist suspect and held at gunpoint for three weeks? This is the big issue here, so I know you can understand why I am sensitive to the some of the un-enlightened people who post here and elsewhere?

Thanks again for the support.

Michael
Thank you for the compliments. I only read about half of the responses on that Pravada forum because that's all I could stomache. Reading most of the responses to you made me hurt and angry. I can't see what anyone would have to lose by giving you the benefit of the doubt. I have been lied too by many all my life, but I'll be damned if I let that stop my heart from reaching out to people. I may not be able to advise you in your quest, but I can certainly give you my emotional support. Many people in this world have grown cold and unfeeling, but I refuse to join that group.

(((Hugs)))