American on trial for 'war on terror' claims US govt link

US citizens Jonathan Idema (2R),Edward Taradallo (L) and Derent Dennett (R) stand in the dock of a courthouse in Kabul, yesterday, as they face trial for running an unlicensed jail in Afghanistan as part of a private "war on terror". PHOTO: AFP

Jonathan Idema, who denies charges he detained and tortured Afghan citizens without US government consent, said they were hunting terrorists under the auspices of the Pentagon and said they had been abandoned by US authorities.

"The American forces directly condoned and supported what we did," said Idema, who is on trial with his subordinates Brent Bennett and Edward Caraballo.

Judge Abdul Baset Bahktiari allowed the three men and four Afghan associates also on trial with them to delay their trial for up to 20 days to allow them to prepare a better defense and find adequate translators.

US and Afghan authorities allege that Idema and his two subordinates illegally jailed and tortured eight Afghan citizens without government authority.

The three men face jail sentences of between 16 and 20 years if found guilty, according to prosecutor Mohammed Naeem Dawari.

Idema claimed that he had been running a counter-terrorism operation under deep cover for some months and handed militants he had detained to US-led coalition forces for further questioning on at least two occasions.

The group had emails, faxes and recordings to prove their links with senior US Defence Department officials, he added.

The adjournment came after two Afghan interpreters struggled to translate comments from the judge, prosecution and witnesses, and Idema claimed he and his associates would not be able to get a fair trial under those circumstances.

"It is impossible for us to know what's happening," he said.

US news reports said Idema was a bounty hunter who spent time in jail for fraud, formerly fought with Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan and may have been hunting senior Al-Qaeda leaders in the hope of claiming the substantial rewards on offer.

The case has thrown a spotlight on the shadowy world of private security contractors operating in concert with US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan and raised questions over the treatment of Afghan detainees.