Northeast Intelligence Network

By Douglas J. Hagmann, Director

1 December 2009: As detailed in an article by Jim O’Neill at Canada Free Press, three U.S. Navy seals have been charged with assaulting a terrorist mastermind, allegedly causing him a bloody lip at some point during his capture. The allegedly injured terror suspect, Ahmed Hashim ABED was the focus of an extensive search that culminated in his capture by U.S. Navy Seals last September.  Investigation by the military found that ABED reportedly planned and superintended the capture, murder and subsequent desecration of the bodies of four U.S. subcontractors delivering food and supplies to Iraqis near the town of Fallujah on 31 March 2004.

There is much rightful outrage over the charges of assault pending against the three U.S. Seals. Unfortunately, that point has been rendered moot as charges against the Seals have been filed and they face formal arraignment a week from today. The ludicrous nature of the charges aside, outrage is unfortunately obscuring an extremely important piece of exculpatory evidence that should be introduced in their defense. The allegation of abuse during capture or while in detention adhere to a carefully outlined plan published by the enemy in late 2003, is an effective and demoralizing operational tactic of the enemy.

Enemy Playbook

The claims by ABED follow a precise strategy detailed by an online paramilitary training series known as “al Battar,” which provides instructions on all aspects of Islamic warfare. First published in 2003, al Battar provides detailed instructions to Islamic terrorists on methods to fight the West, from practical weapons training to ideological warfare. The al Battar training series was concurrently supplemented by a sister publication known as the Voice of Jihad, a publication that provides more detailed ideological and scholarly instruction to terrorists than the al Battar series. Together, the publications provide valuable insight into the tactics of Islamists on and off the battlefield.  The Northeast Intelligence Network has been extensively involved in securing, translating, and providing tactical analysis of that publication to military and federal authorities.

Among the topics contained within the instructional series are methods to employ when captured by Western forces. The favored approach by the captive is to allege abuse during capture or detention, which serves to exacerbate the ongoing political debates pertaining to the classification, handling and disposition of enemy combatants.

If our leaders require us to engage in this insane self-flagellation by forcing the three Seals into the criminal justice system, it is my hope that their attorneys present the aforementioned publications into evidence. It will be abundantly clear that ABED was merely following the Islamic warfare playbook.