Jul
22
22
Oh, you mean that Jonathan K. Idema!
US and Afghan authorities deny any links to the self-styled task force, describing them as vigilantes on a personal quest to fight terrorism.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The U.S. military acknowledged Thursday it held an Afghan man for a month after taking custody of him from a trio of American counterterror vigilantes who have since been arrested on charges of torturing prisoners at a private jail they ran in the Afghan capital.
What a predicament!
Thanks to Blair for the link.
Added: No More Mister Nice Blog has more.
August J. Pollak - xoverboard.com said,
July 22, 2004 at 14:25
Doing the work for you
Josh Marshall highlights the historical revisionism of George W. Bush. Then, Sadly, No! points out the selective re-elaborations of the U.S. Military. And of course, Dick Cheney obviously just forgot about saying the opposite of something he said later…
tom said,
August 8, 2004 at 3:36
Read Robin Moore’s book, “the Hunt for bin Laden”. J. Keith “Jack” Idema is mentioned numerous times. Got too efficient at his job and is being sold out like Mr. Kurtz in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”.
Holt Montgomery said,
August 16, 2004 at 15:42
Indeed I have read “The Hunt for bin Laden,” and it is a very good book. Idema is portrayed as a retired Green Beret who got really motivated to get back into the business after 9/11. I think it’s relatively obvious the U.S. government and military have every incentive to distance themselves from him, especially in light of his charges and the Abu Garhib(or however it’s spelled) prison scandal. The whole story and subsequent trial smells to me. It seems like it’s been spun. I hope this guy isn’t being left out to dry.
Jeff said,
August 22, 2004 at 16:54
I too have read the book. I was chatting with a SF colonel the other day and he told me something that rose an eyebrow. He told me that Idema never was SF, and he washed out of selection. He basically feed Mr. Moore a load. He also told me that Idema is wanted for several offenses here in NC, he didn’t exactly tell me what. To end the conversation about the topic he told me that there were many Green Berets that wanted to kill this guy, including himself. Interesting…
joe said,
September 15, 2004 at 18:36
idema is nothing but a criminal. Like the saying goes, what comes around goes around, now he’ll be tortured in the afghani jail like he tortured afghanis that were picked up simply on profiling. Maybe the fact that the govt distanced himself from him will teach him a lesson, not to be stupid. people like ideam who think that they are patriots are nothing but criminals and ignorant racists. peace is patriotic not war. He got what he derves and it feels good
Anonymous said,
September 16, 2004 at 15:53
According to the book by Robin Moore (which is misconstrued in many ways the point it is fiction strewn with trivial facts here and there), Mr. Idema was on a special forces team in Afghanistan during the initial invasion. This has been verified by others sources in and out of the media.
As far as his actions and current state. I would hope that the U.S. or someone friendly to our cause could negotiate or assist in his release. We can?t leave one of our men to the vices of his captors that he has been fighting since the November 2001. He will be imprisoned by some of his enemies and also imprisoned with some of his enemies. I would hate to see something happen for someone that has helped us as a whole, even though some view that he stepped over the line. The line is very gray and ever shifting depending on the current political climate and who is viewing under different circumstances.
heathcliff said,
September 17, 2004 at 2:54
I met jack out in afghanistan during the post 911 war,he was posing as a D.O.D official then and claimed to be ex spec ops. most of us(journalists) thought he was nuts and this was confirmed when he opened fire on his own friends in a drunken rage one night in a kabul hotel in spring of 2002.
What his real history is who knows,but i’m sure he had some connection with the U.S military in afghanistan.He told me once the U.S govt were opening a “school of the americas” in Kabul to teach the afhgans a few tricks.
What has happened in recent days certainly hasn’t suprised anyone that i know who met him,and it’s not exactly a shock that the U.S military would deny any involvement after their inexcusable behaviour in Abu Ghraib.
Oda said,
September 25, 2004 at 21:50
There is more to his story than meets the eye. He was captured previously operating independently in South America. He’s got a reputation of getting caught.
Leo said,
October 13, 2004 at 17:10
I read Robin Moore’s book and how “Jack” was mentioned in it for obtaining helpful information for our side. There is involvement with the goverment here. Under some circumstances, we (the U.S) choose to sometimes use unpredictable sources (remember Noriega?)that go in a totally different direction. Jack did deliver in some aspects. I say he shouldn’t totally be abandoned in his fight for his freedom. I’m sure we can think of a whole lot of other people that shouldn’t be given the permission of walking around this earth free as bird. We recently let go of a terrorist who we thought wasn’t going to be a threat (because he lost one of his legs) and look what happened. At least this guy’s going after terrorists. What? our guy’s don’t get tortured? I’m sorry, we get beheaded. A LITTLE LENIENCY PLEASE!
ODA121 said,
October 14, 2004 at 22:36
Kieth, hoist by his own petard. It goes to show that eventually all con artists trip themselves by their own lies, or blatant activities. I worked with and for him in the early 90’s, and had known him earlier, always a knowledgeable loose cannon. Free with opinions, observations and abuse (of subordinates). Great salesman, full of great ideas, but unable to follow through successfully with any of them (wire fraud? 4 years in the federal system?).
fred said,
February 22, 2005 at 4:07
having worked with him in the Past I never have known him as “jack” this must be something new he has always been known as kieth (his middle name) he has a history of shooting up bars and while his history includes green berets his abily to sell an idea has always been foiled by his abilty to freak out and have irrational wild behavior. His father has spent most of his money bailing him out of one mess or another. transcripts from his federal wire fraud trial include comments of the judge saying he was danergerous and a danger. This time he lost and went to jail. Who knows what the real story is but he is in afganistan quote names up to rumsfeld and is probally not having a good time anymore.
Anonymous said,
March 19, 2005 at 6:22
I’m not sure why special forces may have been out to get him, or why you people who think Mr. Idema’s patriotism was misguided - but may I remind you he was not fighting along side anti-American forces ala John Walker Lindh. He was however treated in much the same fashion as the American Taliban (who got twenty years). It is a damn shame that this guy was hung out to dry by the Pentagon, who in their stupidity of offering a 25 million dollar reward for Mr. Bin Laden, never thought that people actually might go looking for him. Mr. Idema definitely sounds crazy, but what is far more shocking to me is that the White House and Pentagon flew out Bin Laden’s relatives three days after the attacks on New York and Washington.
Think about it.
unknown said,
July 5, 2005 at 22:00
This guy has a very distinct ability to sound coersive. Actually he is quite scary when in his presence. i worked with Idema directly before he went on his little trip to Afghanistan. Unfortunately I learned WAY too much about his personal life that was just as disgusting and it doesn’t shock me in the slightest. He personally scared the hell out of me; then there’s his crazy wife/girlfriend who startes the PR up for him for attention. Anyone who has been in his presence has to know that this guy is pure evil.
wookie said,
November 10, 2005 at 1:16
I meet and did busness with the man in the 90’s
Pure evil no way. I would fight at his side anyday.
He is and always will be 110% American and should not be hung out to dry.
sfopsretired said,
May 29, 2007 at 0:03
You wouldn’t be talking about Lt. Colonel Gerry Blackwood or Colonel Joe Cafasso, would you, now?
Because if it was someone with one of the aliases at this blog, then it was the infamous “At Fox News the Colonel Who Wasn’t”, Joe Cafasso aka -so many aliases you wouldn’t believe it.
George said,
May 29, 2007 at 0:03
Funny, stumbled on this now that Idema’s been found innocent and released (bad for some people, lol). Noticed all the phony Colonel references and phony ODA121 name and realized that these comments were posted by the ultimate asshole himself.
You all wouldn’t be talking about and listening to Lt. Colonel Gerry Blackwood or Colonel Joe Cafasso, would you, now?
Because if it was someone with one of the aliases at this blog, then it was the infamous “At Fox News the Colonel Who Wasn’t”, Joe Cafasso aka -so many aliases you wouldn’t believe it.
Bet the nasty comments all come from the same IP address.
George said,
May 29, 2007 at 0:06
And ditto that again………………
the infamous “At Fox News the Colonel Who Wasn’t�, Joe Cafasso aka -so many aliases you wouldn’t believe it.
The guy IDEMA got fired for fake posing.
take a look at http://www.superpatriots.us if any idiot on here thinks Idema was not in Special Forces.
halda said,
March 10, 2008 at 5:24
Typical of the Idema Cool-Aid cult that they have to dangle another con-artist to make Idema look legit. Nothing a con hates more than another one trying to muscle in on his game. And Idema — like any good delusional ego-freak — has to have a “nemesis” (ie Cafasso) who is the source of all his antagonism.
The similarities between the two are striking — down to the fact that they are both in hiding from US law enforcement.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Idema for lots of details about the real Jonathan K. Idema.