Plight of Navy SEALs 3 tangled in politics and non-disclosure

Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) and 40 other Republican congressmen are calling for all charges to be dropped against 3 Navy SEALs in a matter involving an alleged terrorist detainee in Iraq.

Commentary by Kay B. Day

Rep. Dan Burton (standing) visited the Reserve Officers Association of Indianapolis in November. Burton has led the congressional charge in efforts to clear up the charges against 3 Navy SEALs. As far as The US Report can determine, no Democrats have advocated. Burton served in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserves.The US Report has tracked the plight of 3 Navy SEALs facing various charges involving the detention of alleged terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed in Iraq. Early media reports suggested the detainee had either a bruised lip or had taken a blow to the stomach while in detention. One of the only official statements from military brass can be found in a letter from Maj. General Charles T. Cleveland to Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.):

“While the assault and resulting injury to the detainee were relatively minor, the more disconcerting allegations are those related to the Sailors’ attempts to cover-up the incident, particularly in what appears to be an effort to influence the testimony of a witness. All of these allegations were fully investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).”

But based on what we know, the letter actually does little to clear up the confusion.

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Capt. Bjork’s story expands with media coverage, personal website

By Kay B. Day

Capt. Carl Bjork (photo from Support Carl Bjork Facebook group]

As Capt. Carl Bjork awaits word on whether he will be court-martialed for the deaths of two Iraqis, Wasim Ibrahim Al-Kubaysi and Gayth Shakir Saba’ar, his story is expanding because of increased media coverage and a personal website.

Bjork didn’t kill the men; they were executed by a police chief named Ibrahim Hamid Jaza and a couple of his Iraqi colleagues. The Denver Post reported, “Sometime between Nov. 15, 2006, and the end of the year, Jaza and two other Iraqi police officials executed Al-Kubaysi and Saba’ar, according to the Army charge sheet…The suspects told investigators they had been ordered to carry out those killings by the officer in charge of training them—Capt. Carl Bjork.”

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Captain Bjork's accusers former Iraqi police, intel officer

Commentary by Kay B. Day

I'm posting this as we travel, and my connection isn't the best. But I spoke with Victor Kelley today. Kelley is the attorney for Capt. Carl Bjork, a decorated soldier serving in the U.S. Army. Bjork just went through an Article 32 after accusations were made by Iraqi detainees.

Kelley told me the accusers are former Iraqi police (3) and one former Iraqi intel officer. My phone connection was barely audible--it's raining frogs and fish right now so to speak. But one of the accusations relates to a brother of a local chief of police who was executed by an Iraqi tribe.

Bjork was not present at the execution. Bjork did not command the area.

What Bjork did--he trained Iraqi police.

The captain's accusers gave stories that were inconsistent. As we reported in a previous post, the accusers were allowed to converse and apparently attempted to come up with consistent versions. They've made multiple statements, and a thinking woman would perceive they're trying to save their own skins for whatever crimes they have committed. Accusing a U.S. officer could be a great method for distraction.

Somewhere in the mix of accusations, the Iraqi detainees are pointing fingers at Bjork over 2 dead insurgents.

Kelley said, "The investigation took more than 2 years. It was completed in 2008. I think this could have been resolved much more efficiently."

Kelley has more experience dealing with military law than most anyone else I can think of. Obviously he believes Bjork is getting a raw deal.

Judging by the more than 4,000 people who support Bjork and by the volume of email I'm getting, including dozens of testimonials to the captain's integrity, I think he's getting  a raw deal too.

Why we are pandering to Iraqi detainees who can't even tell a straight story is beyond me. If you think the charges sound confusing, so do I. We could probably admit to ourselves that when someone is weaving fiction, the results can be confusing because the truth is nowhere to be found.

A commenter named Dan offered additional information in response to our column on Thursday: "I served with Carl during the time he was accused of these actions and it's a bogus charge. As for the Iraqis who are testifying against him, what a group of liars. The leader of them being a former 'interrogator' of the previous Iraqi regime. It's a sad day for the country when a hero, a leader and a citizen is charged for something he didn't do by the enemy."

More later when I have a better connection.

Photo of Capt. Carl Bjork, a decorated soldier facing inconsistent accusations from former Iraqi police and an intel officer. [Photo provided by Capt.Bjork's family]

Defense fund online for Navy SEALs charged in Iraqi detainee case

[Map of Iraq from CIA World Factbook.]A defense fund has been established to help 3 Navy SEALs who face charges stemming from accusations an Iraqi detainee made after he was captured.

The US Navy SEALs blog, a private site,  said, “The case revolves around an alleged incident in September, where one of the SEALs – Matthew McCabe – apparently punched suspect Ahmed Hashim Abed in the stomach. Jonathan Keefe and Julio Huertas are being accused of covering up and lying about the said incident.”

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