There are a few scenerios given in the content provided by Host concerning al-Faruq no longer being held in US custody.
Escape:
The Newsweek article laid out how difficult it would be for four men to escape Bagram prison. Frankly, I don't see how one man could achieve it, let alone four, but this is the current position of the US government.
Quote:
To enter and leave Bagram one has to pass through a labyrinth of concrete and dirt-filled-wire barriers that are overlooked by two-story-high observation posts. The prisoners, dressed in orange jumpsuits, are kept in wire cages in the middle of an old warehouse, somewhat like Hannibal Lecter in "Silence of the Lambs." The warehouse in turn is ringed by razor wire and finally the fences and guard posts of the airbase itself.
Yet in the early morning hours of July 11, 2005, U.S. officials say, four of these brightly attired men somehow penetrated each of the three security cordons and slipped through a Soviet-era minefield just outside the base, one purposely left active. Then the escapees disappeared into the darkness, managing even to elude local Tajik villagers who are generally hostile to foreign fighters. It was, almost everyone agreed, an astonishing feat. "If this really happened as reported, it makes the Great Escape of World War II look like an Outward Bound exercise," said one U.S. defense analyst familiar with detainee operations who would speak only if he were not named.
|
Prisoner Release:
If a prison escape is ruled out, then one must assume that the four were deliberately released from Bagram. The Antara article suggests these as possible reasons:
- Released and Killed. This seems implausible to me, because they knew al-Faruq's position in a'Q. I would think he would remain a valuable intel source for years to come.
- Released as part of our intelligence network. This scenerio would imply that either al-Faruq infiltrated a'Q years ago, or agreed to turn while in prison. The first seems doubtful, and the second highly unlikely.
- Released in a prisoner exchange. It was also suggested that these four were exchanged for captured special forces/agents. I believe it would need to be someone incredibly important to garner an exchange for al'Faruq, so once again, I think this is doubtful.
- Released with the purpose of sustaining terrorism in Indonesia. I will need my tinfoil hat to give some thought as to what benefit this would serve the US. I'll be back on this one.