Yvonne
Ridley: The Tale of the Brits in Afghanistan by Yvonne Ridley
Exclusive to Cageprisoners.com
Let
me tell you the tale of some Brits who were arrested in Afghanistan in 2001.
It was a time when the country was in the grip - so we were told by George Bush
and Tony Blair - of one of the most brutal regimes in the world.
One Briton was arrested for entering the country illegally, without a passport
and visa. The others were arrested without charge and until this present day we
still don't know what is their crime.
The first Briton was interrogated for six days by Taleban intelligence, held
under house arrest in Jalalabad in an air-conditioned room, with access to a
flush toilet and shower facilities. By the fourth day, the Taleban had
mysteriously received a Western intelligence file revealing that the Briton held
was in fact a spy.
After further investigations, the file was proven to be bogus and the
mischievous work of Western intelligence. However, the original charge of
entering the country remained. The prisoner, so far unharmed, was driven from
Jalalabad to Kabul prison and remained there for four more days. After
complaining about cramped conditions, the Taleban removed the Brit to
comfortable sleeping quarters used by their own soldiers. Again, a private room
was made available.
On the final night, the prisoner was left frightened and terrified when more
than 50 cruise missiles dropped on Kabul, courtesy of Britain and America. The
next day, on October 8 2001, the British prisoner feared the Taleban would take
revenge, but instead this reviled regime released the accused on humanitarian
grounds, waving a release form, signed by Mullah Omar.
The others British prisoners were not so lucky. Their captors tortured and beat
them; bound and gagged, they were held in cramped, unsanitary conditions. When
moved to the next prison, they were shaved, gagged, blindfolded, masked and
drugged before being tied into the seat of an airplane and flown halfway round
the world to Cuba.
Those Britons are still in the hands of the Americans… we still don't know all
of their names. The first prisoner, Yvonne Ridley, was much luckier and
thankfully, due to the courtesy and respect accorded me, I am free to write this
story. I was fortunate. I was captured by the Taleban.
Judging by the treatment meted out to the British and other detainees, one can
only assume it is they who are now in the hands of an uncivilised, barbaric
regime.
Perhaps President George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair might want to ponder
these three words: pot, kettle and black!
(for more info contact: loveislam@aol.com
(Clicking on the link will cause your default email editor to open)