News-Info-Alerts

Re: Some Give POW Status to Afghani Captives

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Date: May 02, 2002

"Britain will give Afghans PoW status; Canada won't

By JEFF SALLOT
With a report from Associated Press  

Tuesday, April 30, 2002 – Page A1

OTTAWA -- Canadian soldiers will continue to turn captives in Afghanistan over to the United States, the Department of National Defence said, despite Britain's decision not to do so in most cases.

"Our policy has not changed," DND spokeswoman Lina Calamo said.

British military officials told The Associated Press yesterday that they will treat most captured al-Qaeda or Taliban fighters as prisoners of war and hand them to the interim government in Kabul, rather than to U.S. forces. Washington has denied its captives PoW status, calling them "unlawful combatants."

Ottawa's policy has not changed since January, when Canadian special forces captured at least three fighters in southern Afghanistan and, in a controversial move, handed them to the U.S. military, senior partner in the operation.

Ms. Calamo said Canadian troops operating with the Americans and British do not have "the capability or the facilities" to keep their own prisoners. And Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade spokeswoman Marie-Christine Lilkoff said Ottawa is satisfied that the United States is treating captives humanely and consistently with the principles of the Geneva Conventions, even if their lack of PoW status means they are not officially entitled to such treatment.

British officials said they are taking a different approach. In most cases, their troops will treat captives as PoWs, which means they will have the right of return to their home country after the war.

British troops have yet to capture any enemy troops or be confronted with the problem of classifying al-Qaeda detainees, and the officials in Afghanistan told reporters there could be some exceptions to the decision, particularly if Osama bin Laden or one of his top lieutenants were to fall into British hands.

The fate of enemy fighters captured in joint U.S.-British operations would be left up to the highest person on the chain of command, the officials said.

In London, a Defence Ministry spokesman confirmed the British policy. Asked whether British forces would hand over senior al-Qaeda figures to U.S. commanders, he said it was unlikely Mr. bin Laden or other senior figures would be captured by members of the coalition acting independently, and that such a key arrest would undoubtedly have U.S. involvement.

Another British official said London believes it isn't clear whether Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters are "unlawful combatants," as Washington says.

He said legal combatants are defined roughly as soldiers who belong to a recognized state military and carry their arms openly.

U.S. military spokesman Major Bryan Hilferty said Britain's policy is up to them."