&sq=&lang=en&file=File:Enemy_Combatant_(book).jpg) First UK edition | |
| Author | Moazzam Begg, Victoria Brittain |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | New Press (US) Free Press (UK) |
Publication date | 2006 |
| ISBN | 0-7432-8567-0 (Britain) ISBN 0-7432-8567-0 (US) |
Enemy Combatant is a memoir by British Muslim, Moazzam Begg, co-written by Victoria Brittain, former associate foreign editor for The Guardian, about Begg's detention by the government of the United States of America in Bagram Detention Facility and at Camp Echo, Guantanamo Bay and his life prior to that detention. It was published in Britain as Enemy Combatant: A British Muslim's Journey To Guantanamo and Back (ISBN 0-7432-8567-0), and in the US as Enemy Combatant: My Imprisonment at Guantanamo, Bagram, and Kandahar (ISBN 1-59558-136-7).[1][2] In the US, the foreword was written by David Ignatius of The Washington Post.[3]
Begg was seized by Pakistani officers in Islamabad in February 2002, turned over to the U.S., and after prolonged sessions of interrogation, he was released from detention on 25 January 2005. According to statements made by the U.S. military, Begg was an enemy combatant and al-Qaeda member, who recruited others for al-Qaeda, provided money and support to al-Qaeda training camps, received extensive military training in al-Qaeda-run terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, and who was prepared to fight U.S. or allied troops.
Begg admits having spent time at two non-al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan in the 1990s, having supported Muslim fighters in Bosnia and Chechnya, and that he had "thought about" taking up arms in Chechnya. Also, that he had previously met people who have since been linked to terrorism (Khalil al-Deek, Dhiren Barot, and Shahid Akram Butt),[1] but he denies ever having trained for, aided, carried out or planned any acts of terrorism.[4]
John Sifton, a New York–based official from Human Rights Watch, said that the book's narrative is consistent with other accounts of conditions in Afghan detention centres and Guantanamo Bay.[5]
- ^ a b Golden, Tim (15 June 2006). "Jihadist or Victim: Ex-Detainee Makes a Case". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
- ^ Alibhai-Brown, Yasmin (24 March 2006). "Enemy Combatant by Moazzam Begg with Victoria Brittain". The Independent. London, UK. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ^ Ignatius, David (14 June 2006). "A Prison We Need to Escape". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ^ Brancaccio, David (28 July 2006). "NOW Transcript – Show 230". NOW. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
Begg has denied all these charges, saying that he has "never planned, aided or participated in any attacks against Westerners".
- ^ Lalas, Elizabeth (27 October 2006). "Moazzam Begg's story of detention and abuse: This is Bush's war on terror". Socialist Worker. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2007.