US arrests Aljazeera crew in Kabul

[DoYouEverWonder]

01 January 2006

US forces have arrested three Aljazeera employees for filming near a US base in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

According to Samar Allawi, the Aljazeera bureau chief, a three-man team comprising Waliullah Shaheen, a correspondent, Nasir Hashimi, a cameraman, and Mahmood Agha, the driver, were filming the removal of concrete block barriers which had been installed outside all military bases and offices of foreigners for protection.

On Sunday, Allawi said: "After the declaration of the Afghan Interior Ministry that all the cement blocks will be removed, our team went to film the removal and they were detained by US forces.

"We have not been given a clear answer so far about why they have been detained," he said.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/851C5B58-2787-48BF-9FC8-92E30CFECFF1.htm

[izzie]

1. Who said we do not control that country? News office any how.

Guess we really did win that war, three blocks around the President any how.

[0007]

5. Happy New Year izzie.

You mean the mayor of kabual?

[bluedonkey]

2. Happy New Year

Now they're piccking them off one by one.Guess filming removal of concrete blocks threatens our security.

[maddezmom]

3. so contractors have the authority to arrest in Afghanistan??

WTF?

A US military spokesman, Lieutenant Mike Cody, said security forces on contract to the coalition detained the trio, took control of their equipment and passed them on to Afghan police.

He said the three were held after they were seen "filming security features in the vicinity of Camp Eggers in Kabul."

Afghan police were not immediately available for comment.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060101/wl_asia_afp/afghanistanmediaarrest;_

[High Plains]

9. The contractors do what they want.

The country is crawling with them. I went to the US Embassy in Kabul, and it was guarded by local security guards (mercenaries) commanded by a Brit. The Hotel Intercontinental is crawling with South African and Brit mercs, or at least it was when I was there in October.

While I was in Afghanistan, an American merc shot and killed his Afghan translator, then was spirited out of the country.

[saigon68]

19. "Contractors" enjoy the Barbecue

don't click this link unless you have a STRONG STOMACH

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/photo/2004/04/01/2003117893

[bettyellen]

12. the contractors controll access to our bases and override military orders

they showed this on the Frontline special, the newscrew was left outside and in grave danger for quite a while, while the "military commander" of the base tried to get them clearance to come in.
The name escapes me now, but look on the Frontline site, it's an amazing piece of reporting.

[maddezmom]

13. thanks for the tip, I found this one

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/warriors/

[bettyellen]

14. there you go! great link, huh?

some scary stuff, isn't it?

[Peace Patriot]

4. It is important not to get discouraged and demoralized by these multiple

outrages--the harassment and killings of journalists, the use of private contractors for enforcement actions, and as torturers and members of death squads--and so many other terrible things.

There is little we can do to change these polices until we have restore our right to vote--although it might be useful, for the sake of the three journalists who are currently in peril, to write to Senators and Congress people, to urge their immediate release, return of their equipment, and recompense. Al Jazeera journalists have to be the bravest people on this earth.

-------

Throw Diebold and ES&S election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor' NOW!

[cal04]

6. Jazeera TV Team Freed in Kabul After Questioning

U.S. and Afghan forces released the Kabul correspondent of the Arab television station Al Jazeera, his driver and a cameraman on Sunday hours after holding and questioning them, the station said.

An Al Jazeera journalist said from Kabul that the three had not been aware of any restrictions on reporting in the area where they were held.

The Qatar-based station earlier quoted a statement from the U.S. forces as saying the team had been filming locations of a ''security nature'' near the headquarters of the U.S.-led troops operating in Afghanistan.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-security-jazeera-afghan.html

[jbnow]

10. Thanks

Glad to hear they at least let them go.

[cal04]

17. Al-Jazeera crew had their cameras and phones taken by US

Correspondent Waliullah Shaheen, cameraman Nasir Hashimi and driver Mahmood Agha were filming the removal of concrete block barriers which had been installed outside all military bases and offices of foreigners for protection.

"We were arrested and detained by coalition for an hour, then handed over to Afghan police, who kept us for four hours before releasing us," Mr Shaheen said.

"The American soldiers confiscated five telephones and our camera, and kept it," he added. A US military spokesman, Lieutenant Mike Cody, said security forces detained the trio, took control of their equipment and passed them on to Afghan police. He said the three were held after they were seen "filming security features in the vicinity of Camp Eggers in Kabul".

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17711706%255E1702,00.html

[donsu]

7. the bushmilhousegang will harrass Aljazeera whenever it can

or try to bomb or kill them if they think they can get away with it.

truth in reporting is not wanted

look how they threaten and bully our press

[Stevious]

8. nice

How about a little press intimidation?

[cliss]

11. I'm surprised anyone is still reporting.

Considering that journalists in these countries (Iraq, Afghanistan) have a very high death rate, I'm amazed they are still there. Why can't they at least hide their cameras, maybe only film early in the morning or right before sunset so they're not so obvious. Maybe use secret cameras in their shoes or something.

Didn't Rumsfeld's Pentagon kill them all? Looks like Don missed a few. Look at what we did to the Italian journalist, Sgrena.

I've posted several times that anyone who goes to these countries to report on a story is in mortal danger.

[HuffleClaw]

15. they've made no bones about their hate for the media

especially the arab media. those guys were some lucky to be released.

[Wordie]

16. How can we BE so dumb. How does this look to the average Afgani?

Not to mention all of al Jazeera's other readers. Doesn't seem to me that there was any justification for this at all.

Dumb.

(My smilies aren't working, but if they were I would be motivated to use the one with the little person banging his head against the wall - imagine it here.)

[daleo]

18. At least they didn't shoot them

Things are looking up.

[greiner3]

20. So it's not only in the US that there's no free press;

<sarcasm>

The smilies still aren't working. Must be a holiday or something :)

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

21. At least they didn't bomb Al Jazeera!

Can we say INTIMIDATION?

S.O.P. for * et al.

:puke: