His Own Abu Ghraib

By Tim McGirk

When Afghan authorities raided the house of a former Green Beret named Jonathan (Jack) Idema in Kabul last week, they were startled to find a makeshift prison. Inside were three Afghan prisoners hanging from their feet. Five more men were locked up and badly beaten. Another example of prison abuse by U.S. forces? No, this do-it-yourself Abu Ghraib was a private jail being run by Idema and two other Americans who, along with several Afghan helpers, appear to have set themselves up as antiterrorist bounty hunters. "They pretended they were fighting terrorism," said Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali, after the three Americans were arrested. "But they were outlaws."

Idema, 47, was well known to reporters in Kabul. Given to explosive bursts of rage and camouflage uniforms, he stalked Kabul's few bars and foreign TV-news bureaus, punctuating his stories of chasing al-Qaeda with a flourish of his pistol. At least once he came up with the goods: a seven-hour al-Qaeda training video, parts of which aired in January 2002 on CBS's 60 Minutes. He hinted that he was working undercover for U.S. special forces and as a "special adviser" for Afghan authorities. But he was one of many shadowy, ex--special-operations types drawn to Afghanistan out of misguided patriotism or because of the prospect of fat rewards--the bounty on Osama bin Laden now exceeds $50 million, and that on Taliban chief Mullah Mohammed Omar $25 million.

The discovery of Idema's prison came at a bad time for U.S. forces, who have faced charges of prison brutality in Afghanistan similar to those widely publicized in Iraq. Three Afghan prisoners have died while in custody, and several others were allegedly subjected to torture and sexual abuse. In Washington a U.S. State Department spokesman swiftly disavowed any official link to Idema's gang, saying, "The U.S. government does not employ or sponsor these men." For Idema, who officials say may face kidnapping charges in Afghanistan, the bounty-hunting days appear to be over.

--By Tim McGirk