He said the detainment brought back the horrors of the late Saddam Hussein’s brutal and sadistic regime to Iraqi nationals who were part of his extraction team.
“The Iraqi members of my team were absolutely terrified, they had been through this during Saddam’s terror reign and with the death of the dictator they thought it was all over. The detainment and psychological torture brought back vivid memories for them,” Mr Fisher shared.
Well, here is part 2 of this whole thing and we are now starting to get a better picture of what happened to these guys. I am also disgusted with what Iraq did to these men. I see the words in these testimonies below like ‘psychological torture, filth, squalor, moments of terror, fearful, deplorable, lives threatened, food placed on the ground with flies, and they are supposed to be our ally.’ If Iraq’s intent was to bring back the days of what it was like under Saddam, then they did a great job.
As to the details, I guess they were working for Triple Canopy and it wasn’t just 3 contractors, but 7 contractors. The other 4 were local Iraqi security specialists. They were also on a mission to retrieve equipment for the US government during this draw down.
There was also another thing mentioned that perked me up.
Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.) said he learned from Melissa Antiohos that her husband was in an Iraqi jail.
“He received virtually no assistance at all from his own government,” said King. “Nobody from the American embassy out in Baghdad went to see him at all.”
The U.S. State Department declined to discuss the charges made by King.
Antiohos said what happened to him was “unfortunate, given our contribution to their nation.”
“They are supposed to be our ally,” he said.
It is hard for me to imagine that the US Embassy was not immediately working on the release of these folks? But if true, that is not cool at all. This contractor team had Americans in it, they were doing a job for the US government through a contract, and a matter like this should have been handled and fixed on day one. I mean we have plenty of diplomats and State folks in Iraq, complete with a massive security force and logistics.
Now in the second article below, that is when the whole ‘planning to escape’ thing came up. I imagine SERE training was kicking in with Alex (former Special Forces) and the others, and based on how long they were detained and their treatment, I am sure some escape planning was in order. Here is the quote below.
According to the 41-year-old (Mark Fisher), the Iraqi military played psychological games with them promising imminent release while pointing loaded automatic machine guns at them. “Their favourite words were ‘believe me’ and ‘you’re going home tomorrow’ but it didn’t happen for 18 days.
“After hearing these words for the first few days, we knew that our captors were playing games with us and that’s when we began plotting our escape,” he said.
Unbelievable. Well guys, pass this one around and get the word out. If Triple Canopy makes a statement, I will post that as well. –Matt
Freed security contractor Alex Antiohos, left, is joined by U.S. Rep. Peter King during a news conference Friday.
Long Island contractor held in an Iraqi jail for three weeks speaks out about ‘deplorable’ conditions
Rep. Peter King said no U.S. embassy officials went to visit him
BY Matthew Lysiak & Corky Siemaszko
Friday, December 30 2011
For the Long Island contractor who was trapped in an Iraqi jail for three weeks, it was filth, squalor and uncertainty interrupted by “moments of terror.”
“I was definitely fearful at times,” a weary-looking Alex Antiohos said Friday. “But I was making a concerted effort to suppress my emotions and my feelings in order to ensure that everyone remained calm.”
Antiohos, 32, spoke out three days after he and two other Americans were released by their Iraqi captors.
“I’m thrilled, thrilled to be home,” said the 32-year-old former Green Beret. “I’m looking forward to spending time with my family and ringing in the new year.”
Antiohos, who lives in North Babylon, was working for a private security firm in Iraq. His ordeal began on Dec. 9, when he and two colleagues were detained by members of the Iraqi Defense Ministry while escorting a convoy.
They said the papers of Antiohos and the other Americans — Jonas March of Savannah, Ga., and Kevin Fisher of Fiji — were not in order.
For 24 hours, Antiohos said they were held at a checkpoint with 15 Iraqi nationals. He said he called his wife, Melissa, and fully expected to be released.
Then, suddenly, they were arrested.
“Very surprised,” a guarded Antiohos said when asked for his reaction. “One would expect that the Iraqis would be a little more friendly.”
The worst was yet to come.
The trio were taken to a “filthy” facility in Mahmudiyah, which is part of the infamous “Triangle of Death.”
“It was deplorable,” Antiohos said. “There was limited electricity, no heat. It’s difficult to describe. In general, your average American would consider it appalling.”
And the food was even worse.
“Food placed on the ground with flies,” he said. “No running water.”
The Iraqi guards mostly left the prisoners alone. But when a high-ranking officer appeared, they got “aggressive,” he said.
“There were lives threatened,” he said. “That kind of thing. We were treated fairly most of the time with moments of terror.”
As the days wore on, Antiohos said they wondered when the U.S. government would spring them. It was, he said, “very frustrating.”
Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.) said he learned from Melissa Antiohos that her husband was in an Iraqi jail.
“He received virtually no assistance at all from his own government,” said King. “Nobody from the American embassy out in Baghdad went to see him at all.”
The U.S. State Department declined to discuss the charges made by King.
Antiohos said what happened to him was “unfortunate, given our contribution to their nation.”
“They are supposed to be our ally,” he said.
Story here.
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Fiji man plotted escape from Iraqis
Felix Chaudhary
Monday, January 02, 2012
DURING his 18-day detainment and psychological torture at the hands of the Iraqi military, a Fiji man began planning his group’s escape.
Mark Fisher, a former Republic of Fiji Military Forces sergeant and an employee of United States security contractor Triple Canopy Incorporated and his fellow workers were held captive for 18 days while retrieving equipment left behind by the US Army pull out.
(more…)
