American vigilantes in Afghanistan

Three vigilantes have been reported arrested in Afghanistan, and the leader has been identified as an American. The nationality of the other two is unclear at this time, although early reports identified them as Americans also. BBC:

Three foreigners arrested in Kabul this week were on a freelance counter-terrorism mission, the Afghan government says.

They include at least one US national, Jonathan K Idema, a purported former US special services soldier who says he helped fight the Taleban in 2001.

The men were detained for illegally holding Afghans in a private prison.

The Interior Minister, Ali Ahmad Jalali, said their activities had no legal standing.

US officials say Mr Idema had tried to pass himself off as an American government or military official.

The BBC’s Andrew North in Kabul says this is the first official confirmation that Mr Idema and his group may have been acting beyond the control of US forces or the Afghan government in hunting alleged members of al Qaeda and the Taleban.

The interior minister said Mr Idema and his colleagues had arrested eight people from across Afghanistan and imprisoned them.

“They apparently said that their aims were to act against those carrying out terrorist attacks,” Mr Jalali told journalists in Kabul.

“But they did not have a legal relationship with anyone and the United States was also chasing them – they are actually rebels,” he said.

Warning

Earlier this week the US embassy warned journalists in Kabul about Mr Idema who says he helped anti-Taleban rebels fight the hard-line Islamic regime back in 2001.

“The public should be aware that Idema does not represent the American government and we do not employ him,” a US statement said.

Security sources have told the BBC that the US military circulated warning notices about Mr Idema some time ago, describing him as armed and dangerous and accusing him of interfering with military operations in Afghanistan.

Great. I wonder if they tortured their detainees and took pictures of them like the real US military did in Bagram and Abu Ghraib.

UPDATE: Well, does this shock anyone?

Afghan forces arrested three Americans on a freelance counter-terrorism mission after bursting into a private jail that the trio were allegedly running and finding prisoners hanging from their feet, officials said.

The US military, facing a widening investigation into prisoner abuse, quickly distanced itself from the three, who had been posing as American agents before their detention on Monday in Kabul.

UPDATE: Here’s lots of background on Idema. Thanks to commenter EC for the link.