Bin Laden Lieutenant Escaped U.S. Custody

(Fort Bliss, Texas) This report is disturbing. It's tough enough to have to fight and capture the enemy once. Having to do it over is exasperating.

From the Star-Telegram:

A man believed to be the top al-Qaida operative escaped from a U.S.-run detention facility in Afghanistan and cannot testify against the soldier who allegedly mistreated him, a defense lawyer said Tuesday.

Omar al-Farouq, considered Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant in Southeast Asia, escaped from a U.S. detention facility in Bagram, Afghanistan, on July 10, a Pentagon official confirmed Tuesday evening. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

An Army lawyer for Sgt. Alan J. Driver, a reservist accused of abusing Bagram detainees, asked Tuesday where al-Farouq was and what the Army had done to find him in time for Driver's pretrial hearing.

Capt. John B. Parker, a prosecutor, said al-Farouq and three others escaped from the Bagram detention center and have not been found.

In a nutshell, Farouq escapes in July and we find out about it today because the prosecutor wanted him to testify in the trial of an American serviceman. Uh ... what's wrong with this picture?

First of all, the idea of having a senior al-Qaeda terrorist offer testimony under oath is ludicrous. The murdering scum terrorists are coached in prevarication so there should be no basis to believe a damn thing that comes out of their mouths. And, secondly, as I recall, the escape of a number of detainees from the Bagram facility was reported back in July but they weren't named. What happens next? It's a mystery.

Companion at In The Bullpen.