Obama Administration Releases Gitmo Detainee Mohammed Jawad

“Kirk Lippold, former USS Cole Commander and a senior fellow at Military Families United, decried that, “in a what has become a sadly familiar pattern of decisions, the Obama Administration has released without trial Mohammed Jawad, a terrorist who attacked and wounded two U.S. soldiers and an Afghan citizen.”
Judge and jury, Mr Lippold? Or maybe he an eyewitness to have such complete information, which was not available to the US. If only Mr Lippold had contacted President Bush with his omniscient knowledge, we could have properly tried and locked up Jawad years ago, rather than having to decide we couldn’t really trust the word of the corrupt and barely cohesive Afgan police force of 2002 (wonder if those police received that standing bounty payout for catching a confessed terrorist when they turned him over – just a little extra motivation to put a few extra whacks of the cattle prod in).

It has started. Obama will release all of the terrorist in Gitmo. I wonder how many will be released in the US so they can receive SSI, Food Stamps and Medicaid????

Now the question does enhanced interrogation techniques and torture work for a confession? Obviously it does. What do you think this guy was doing on the battlefield? It’s not like there was a place to vacation in. Obama has just strengthened terrorists. All they have to worry about is questions and lieing. I am sure they are scared in our custody now. He’ll be partying with the Lockerbie bomber next week I am sure.

There was no evidence against Jawad except his confession under torture by people who then sold him to us as a terrorist (we acquired quite a few people at gitmo who were sold to us by Afghans and Pakistanis and turned out to be nothing more than neighbors or tribal rivals of the people who sold them to us). If you torture a 15 or 16 year old kid long enough, he’ll tell you whatever you want to hear. That may be gratifying if you’re building brownie points for catching “terrorists” but you can’t hold anything remotely resembling a fair trial with no evidence other than a coerced confession. Releasing him was the only real option.

Now the question does enhanced interrogation techniques and torture work for a confession? Obviously it does. What do you think this guy was doing on the battlefield? It’s not like there was a place to vacation in. Obama has just strengthened terrorists. All they have to worry about is questions and lieing. I am sure they are scared in our custody now. He’ll be partying with the Lockerbie bomber next week I am sure.
Posted by: lfrichar | Aug 24, 2009 3:39:16 PM
-Wow, where to begin with that idiotic post… How about the fact the the kid (no more than 17 yrs old) LIVED on the “battlefield”. Or how about the fact that torture does produce (false) confessions… just ask John McCain? Or how about the fact the the Lockerbie bomber is from Lybia? By the way, “lieing” isn’t a word.

Countdown to the destruction of America begins

To all of those who condem the release of this young man.
What planet are you from? In my book, he got a hearing. After that hearing, he was found not guilty of what the Bush administration had pined on him. What is to criticize for that?

Right on. Before you know it our President will be planning the invasion of country that represents no threat to us because it’s dictator insulted his daddy. Oh, wait a minute…
Why are we still there?

“He confessed to throwing a grenade in the vehicle with US Soldiers,
Do we even care what happens to our soldiers?”
Posted by: Mother of a US Soldier
He *allegedly* confessed under *torture*. Do you know what McCain was said to have confessed to under torture? Do you know the trustworthiness of the Afghan police after a bounty in 2002?

-Do you know the trustworthiness of the Afghan police after a bounty in 2002?-
“But Montalvo said he was dismayed that the U.S. government wasn’t providing any structure or assistance for Jawad. Some NGOs will be assisting him, he said.”
Guess we’re gonna find out…

Hitler jumped the shark at some point in these comments, so I’ll help myself to the last word: Jawad was released for lack of evidence against him. Doesn’t mean he’s innocent. Doesn’t mean that he’s guilty, either. His case represents, as his lawyer says, the best and the worst about our actions post-2001.

The only evidence, it seems, was a confession. No eye witnesses. A claim of a torture confession that was not denied nor verified by the justice department. We have to respect the rule of law even if it is counter to our emotional state.

-Tick tock.
Obama has less than five months to find a place for the detainees.
Expect more to be released.
Obama would rather endanger our troops than lose face and keep GITMO open.-
Jack,
Like I said, the US will release these guys into the tender mercies of the Afghan police and military. Problem solved. Of course, the WH will be shcoked, shocked, I tell ya when we find out they were tortured and killed 5 minutes after they got off the plane, but hey, that’s life in Kabul! of course the WH could also bury them at Gitmo in Afgahnistan, otherwise known as Bagram. Out of sight, out of mind.

-neo-cons, a new Administration starts to slowly and careful bring some balance back into our dealings with the world-
Nothing saw balance and new beginnings like troop increases and drone attacks!

Seven years in prison for a teenager with no evidence against him, this shows the depths that America has sunk into.

“Young teen??? Boy????…LOL
Posted by: Parallex View | Aug 24, 2009 5:46:54 PM”
Mark Foley?

Strong words from the captain who FAILED to keep his ship safe from attack at short range.
Wasn’t he court marshalled or something for his mistakes?

Here is an excerpt from Mr. Jawad’s ARB hearing testimony.
Board Member: Mr. Jawad, you mentioned that you were at the scene of the attack. Why were you there at that time?
Jawad: Yes. I was there. A person gave me something, but I did not know what the object was that the person gave me [referring to the grenade]. One of those guys gave me one of those to put in my pocket to keep.
Board Member: I am asking you, what is the object he gave to you to put into your pocket?
Jawad: I will tell you now. They gave it to me and then said they would take it back from me later. They told me to stay here [the Detainee did not identify where here was. Close to the origin of the attack.] The man told me that he would come back. The man did not come back. Beside me there was a sack of raison. I wanted to buy some raisons. When I went to pay for the raison, I took the thing the person gave me out of my pocket and placed it on top of the sack of raisons. The shopkeeper saw the thing and asked me what it was. I told the shopkeeper I did not know what it was, but someone had given it to me. The shopkeeper told me that it was a bomb and that I should go and throw it in the river. I put the thing back in my pocket and I was running and shouting to stay away, it’s a bomb! When I got close to the river, people [the police] caught me. The only thing I remember now, I was in the custody of the police.
Board Member: So, someone was going to hire you to clear mines. You were then given a grenade, but you had no idea that the item they gave you was a grenade?
Jawad: Before that time, I had never seen a grenade nor did I know what a grenade was.
Board Member: Do you admit now that the item you had was in fact a grenade?
Jawad: Well, the shopkeeper told me it was a bomb. When I got caught they told me it was a bomb. I guess it is possible that the item I had was a bomb.
Board Member: You were there when the attack occurred, correct? You also know the person who threw the grenades at the American vehicle, correct?
Jawad: It’s a possibility that [the] guy who gave me the grenade, maybe he threw it.
Board Member: Did you hear an explosion?
Jawad: Yes. I didn’t know it was a bomb, but I could hear people shouting.
Board Member: What is your relationship with the person who threw the grenade?
Jawad: I have no relationship with him and I don’t know him.
Board Member: You have no relationship with this man, but he just happened to give you a grenade.
Jawad: That man, I came to Afghanistan to work for him.

Strong words from the captain who FAILED to keep his ship safe from attack at short range.
Wasn’t he court marshalled or something for his mistakes?
Posted by: Walter
No, Commander Lippold was not “court marshalled” NOR court-martialed either
He retired after his promotion to captain was rejected even though the Navy found he could not have prevented the attack though if he had presciently put into effect security procedures not then required it may POSSIBLY been mitigated
Among other duties at the Pentagon after the Cole attack “working in the War on Terrorism Division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy, Lippold was instrumental in the creation of detainee policy in the immediate aftermath of 9/11″
He provided great service to his country in ways that we civilians may not fully understand, earning such awards as “Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (two awards)
Meritorious Service Medal (three awards)
Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Commendation Medal (two awards), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal (two awards)

“lease explain..who is this Foley person and what does this person have to do with Mohammed Jawad???”
He has nothing to do with him. It’s Ryan C’s usual strategy of derail-by-distraction.

How are we feeling today about indefinite detention withou trial? Do we all agree with this preident that it is OK? (I do–how about you?)
How are we feeling today about rendition? Do we all agree with this president that it is OK? (I do–how about you?)
How are we feeling today about denying habeas corpus to suspected terrorists? Do we all agree with this president that it is OK? (I do–how about you?)

When will the president release the terrorists at Bagram? Why doesn’t he charge them all with crimes and try them in civil courts, as any civilized, first-world country would do?

“ryan c..Word of advice, before you run to the table with your salt and pepper shaker, you should really check out the menu first…I was quoting “boy and teen,”
Didn’t see the other quote just your snickering hence the Mark Foley reference.
You know when a family values Republican was hitting on underaged pages?

I.see that the left-wingers are pleading the Fifth on a series of straightforward questions about indefinite detention, rendition and habeas corpus.
No one is surprised.

Yep, let’s free the Terrorists and jail the intelligence agents!

“There is nothing more important than protecting the identities of CIA officers. So I need everybody to be clear: We will protect your identities and your security as you vigorously pursue your missions.”
—Barack Obama at CIA headquarters, April 2009.
Whatever may be said about the targets of Holder’s witchhunt, whether they are guilty or innoncent, it is certain that their identities will be disclosed to the world.
When are you mindless defenders of this administration going to rouse yourselves from your slumber? In the name of Valerie Plane, have you no decency after all?

Yep, let’s free the Terrorists and jail the intelligence agents!
Posted by: Interrogation Czar |
Don’t forget the new kinder, gentler rendition program.

When are you mindless defenders of this administration going to rouse yourselves from your slumber? In the name of Valerie Plane, have you no decency after all?
Posted by: Fascist Hyena |
I think they are out back smoking a doob.

Since the world’s biggest cowards unleashed the power of its mighty armed forces against defenseless peasants, and then ran crying to mommy when anyone fired back.
Posted by: paul siemering
Always nice to hear from the bill maher wing of the democratic party.

This man should not have been arrested. If he was a terrorist he would have thrown the bomb into a building. There are people that will do that to you. However, he should have checked it out instead of putting it in his pocket.

MayBee: I definately would confess if it meant my life. You only have one life and cannot come back. You can’t play with your captors. This boy did the right thing.

Fascist Hyena: The democrats never did have any decency. You can tell by some of the comments made. I am hoping this administration will not get back in again and also it would be better if Pelosi stepped down. She is as crooked as can be. It looks like Reid is on his way out hopefully so we can have more republlicans.

Concerned in OH, at first I thought your comment was rather extreme. Then on reflection I thought, “how would I disprove it!” I could give it a try, but I don’t know that I could meet a reasonable doubt standard.
Troubling…

Go Barack !

I think its very easy to sit & comment. None of us knows what it is actually like when being tortured.

Well, if this young man didn’t hate the U.S. before, he does now. No case, no evidence that this young man did anything! And yet he was held for 7 years with no recourse. Shame on the Bush administration!

I wonder how long it will take him to throw more granades at american soldiers????????? Fact: he did it before.

Note to the Soldiers and Marines:
TAKE NO PRISONERS!!
end of story!!

“NO OTHER WAR IN AMERICAN HISTORY DID WE EVER RELEASE ENEMY COMBATANTS WHILE WE ARE STILL FIGHTING THE WAR. PRES. OBAMA HAS NOT JUST RELEASE THIS ONE GITMO DETAINEE TERRORIST. SINCE HE HAS BEEN IN OFFICE A LITTLE OVER 6 MONTHS HE AS RELEASED DOZENS OF TERRORISTS.”
This would mean something if Bush had not already released several HUNDRED enemy combatants.

Thomas Paine:
“An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws. He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.”