detainees

Obama admin denies heroic Iraqi translator asylum; may grant it to Uighur terrorists

By way of both the Gateway Pundit and Black Five, I came across this Fox News report:

An Iraqi translator who has earned commendations for risking his life repeatedly to save the lives of many American soldiers in combat has been denied a visa to live in the United States because of nonviolent actions he took to overthrow Saddam Hussein — at the same time the U.S. government was calling for regime change in Iraq. Jasim, whose name is being withheld for his safety, has received strong support from the U.S. military, and the Department of Homeland Security approved his application for a visa. But the State Department has denied Jasim a visa because he was arrested in 1996 for actions against the Saddam dictatorship. … Because Iraqi translators are seen by jihadists and former Baathists as “traitors,” Jasim’s life is at greater risk the longer he stays in Iraq, according to multiple State Department and U.S. military officials. A number of translators and their families have already been tortured and/or murdered.

During his three years as a translator, Jasim has exposed himself to enemy fire in the course of saving American lives. Three different Americans who served with him in Iraq told FOXNews.com that they are alive today because of Jasim. “The only reason I am here today is because of Jasim,” said Elisabeth Keene, a U.S. Army specialist who serves in a combat unit. “He saved the life of everyone in my unit. On several occasions while our guys were putting rounds down range, Jasim put himself in harm’s way to pull the wounded out and treat them,” Keene said. “Jasim is a hero to everyone he has ever met.” “I owe my life to Jasim … hands down,” said Master Sgt. Jason Krieger, who went on over 200 combat patrols with Jasim. “I consider him a brother, not only in arms, but in love as well.” Those who have worked with Jasim are astonished at the decision to deny him a visa. FOXNews.com has obtained numerous letters submitted by U.S. Army and Marine Corps personnel supporting his application. Each letter praises his heroism in glowing terms and strongly recommends issuing a visa. Jasim even received letters of recommendation from a couple of two-star generals. It is unusual for a translator’s visa application to be endorsed even by one general.

On March 19, 2009, the Wall Street Journal reported:

Guantanamo detainee Hambali is the mastermind of the Bali massacre and the attack against Christians

Riduan Isamuddin, a.k.a. Riduan Isamudin, Riduan Isomuddin, and Riduan Isomudin, is better known by the nom de guerre Hambali; he is now in detention at Guantanamo. He has been described as “the Osama bin Laden of Southeast Asia,” was the military leader of the Indonesian terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), and was the main link between the organization and al Qaeda until his capture.

It has been frequently reported that, “Hambali was a close friend of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who planned Operation Bojinka and the September 11 terrorist attacks. Hambali envisioned creating a Muslim state, in the form of an Islamic superpower (a theocracy) across Southeast Asia, with himself as its leader (Caliph). His ambition was to rule Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, and parts of the Philippines, Myanmar, and Thailand.”

All that leads to this interesting report from the Asia News, dateline March 10, 2009: