And the children… ?
A little more clarity has emerged in respect of Aafia Siddiqui who appeared in a New York court on Aug 5 and was ordered to be held without bail. We now at least know that she is alive, though not in the best of health according to eyewitness reports from the courtroom. We also know that she is in civilian, rather than military, custody. But there are many things we do not know – not the least of these being the whereabouts of her three children. Some reports of her alleged original arrest in Afghanistan on July 17 July say that she had a young child with her at the time – but there are no subsequent reports of what happened to that child or the whereabouts of her other two children.
The matter of where she has been for the last five years is also unclear. Was she, as is suggested, detained by the Afghan police because they were suspicious of her inability to speak local languages – and that her period in custody is therefore measured in weeks? Or was she in some unnamed prison, possibly Bagram, all this time as is alleged by any number of people – from her family to journalists of repute. And then there are some interesting questions to ask about the circumstances of her alleged encounter with a group of Americans who had gone to interview her. She is said to have fired two rounds from an American soldier’s weapon that he is alleged to have left on the floor while she was behind a curtain. How careless of him. Her alleged actions suggest a familiarity with American service-issue rifles – and the modern rifle is a complex machine that requires extensive training to use intuitively. Is it really possible that she got off two rounds using a type of weapon she is unlikely ever to have held before? Then there are the reports that fire was returned and that she was hit in the chest. Reports from the court appearance speak of what appears to be a leg injury. Leg or chest? – a round into the chest at short range from an American sidearm should have killed or severely wounded her. And if she was on the run what was she doing strolling around with unidentified chemicals in bottles and descriptions of American landmarks in her handbag – in the middle of Afghanistan?
Our best hope of ever getting answers to any of these questions is that she stay in civilian custody, is properly defended by competent lawyers, has consular access to Pakistani diplomats and does not disappear into the black hole of Gitmo – in which event we will probably never get an answer to anything.
August 8th, 2008 | Category: Children, Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, Female Detainee, Ghost, Grey Lady of Bagram, Pakistan
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