Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie
Encyclopedia
Staff Sergeant Ahmed Kousay Altaie (born July 22, 1965) is an Iraqi American
United States Army
linguist
soldier
, who was captured on October 23, 2006 in Baghdad
.
and received his primary and high school education. He then attended a technical school and earned his degree.
Altaie is from Ann Arbor, Michigan and his parents are Kousay and Nawal Altaie.
He was married to Linda Racey, but they later divorced and remained friends.
neighborhood in central Baghdad
, Iraq to see his wife Israa Abdul-Satar's (student at al-Mustansiriya University
) family. He was kidnapped along with his brother-in-law by armed men and taken into a waiting vehicles outside. His wife's brother was freed later that evening but Altaie remained in the kidnapper's possession.
It was first reported that Altaie had violated military rules by marrying an Iraqi woman, as soldiers are generally forbidden from marrying citizens of a country where American forces are occupying. However, on November 2, 2006, Major General William B. Caldwell
stated that Altaie and his wife were married in February 2005 but he didn't arrive in Baghdad until November 2005.
On November 2, 2006, a ransom demand for Altaie was relayed to his uncle Entifad Qanbar, a former spokesman for the Iraqi National Congress
and recently an official in the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. Qanbar made contact with an intermediary trusted by the kidnappers. In a secret location in Baghdad, the mediator met with members of the group who showed Qanbar a grainy video on a cell phone screen of a man they claimed was Altaie, beaten up and bloody and demanded $250,000 from the soldier's family to secure his release.
Qanbar stated that he wouldn't talk about a price until he had seen for himself some proof that Altaie was still breathing. Qanbar suggested they have his nephew describe the inside of his home in Ann Arbor or that the kidnappers photograph the soldier holding a current newspaper by Saturday, November 4, at 12:00pm.
The U.S. government said Saturday, November 11 that it was offering a US $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Altaie.
On February 14, 2007, a proof of life video of Ahmed was posted on a militant Shiite website. A previously unknown group called the "Ahel al-Beit Brigades" claimed responsibility for Altaie's abduction. The eight second video showed Altaie reading from a paper but no audio was heard. He appeared thin but in good health. His uncle identified him as the man in the video. Altaie has not been seen or heard from since. The Iraqi media later reported that he was killed. In February 2010, A Shiite militia group called Asaib al-Haq claimed that they received Altaie's body from his captors.
Altaie is the only American serviceman still missing in Iraq. He was captured when he was the rank of Specialist and has since been promoted to Staff Sergeant
.http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/14/abducted.soldier/index.html
There is also a Facebook support page created by U.S. Army Retired Captain James Văn Thạch that connects supporters calling for the freedom of Altaie, which has over 6,000 members.http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=78722770405
Iraqi American
Iraqi Americans are Americans of Iraqi descent, including those who are expatriates in exile or permanent immigrants. The number of Iraqi Americans is around 140,000 according to the Arab American Institute....
United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, who was captured on October 23, 2006 in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
Early life
At the age of nine he immigrated with his family from Iraq to the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and received his primary and high school education. He then attended a technical school and earned his degree.
Altaie is from Ann Arbor, Michigan and his parents are Kousay and Nawal Altaie.
He was married to Linda Racey, but they later divorced and remained friends.
Military service
Altaie enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in December 2004. He was mobilized in August 2005 and deployed to Iraq in November 2005.Prisoner of war
On October 23, 2006, Altaie was visiting the KarradaKarrada
Karrada is a major affluent district of the city Baghdad, Iraq. It is of a mixed population but it is noted for having majority of Shia population. The presence of Christians are notable in the area...
neighborhood in central Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Iraq to see his wife Israa Abdul-Satar's (student at al-Mustansiriya University
Al-Mustansiriya University
Al-Mustansiriya University is a university located in Baghdad, Iraq. It was established in 1227 by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustansir and is one of the oldest universities in the world. Formerly named Mustansiriya Madrasah, it was restructured as a modern university in 1927...
) family. He was kidnapped along with his brother-in-law by armed men and taken into a waiting vehicles outside. His wife's brother was freed later that evening but Altaie remained in the kidnapper's possession.
It was first reported that Altaie had violated military rules by marrying an Iraqi woman, as soldiers are generally forbidden from marrying citizens of a country where American forces are occupying. However, on November 2, 2006, Major General William B. Caldwell
William B. Caldwell
William B. Caldwell, IV is a United States Army Lieutenant General who is serving as the Commander, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan, as well as, Commanding General, Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan....
stated that Altaie and his wife were married in February 2005 but he didn't arrive in Baghdad until November 2005.
On November 2, 2006, a ransom demand for Altaie was relayed to his uncle Entifad Qanbar, a former spokesman for the Iraqi National Congress
Iraqi National Congress
The Iraqi National Congress is an umbrella Iraqi opposition group led by Ahmed Chalabi. It was formed with the aid and direction of the United States government following the Gulf War, for the purpose of fomenting the overthrow of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.-History:INC was set up following the...
and recently an official in the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. Qanbar made contact with an intermediary trusted by the kidnappers. In a secret location in Baghdad, the mediator met with members of the group who showed Qanbar a grainy video on a cell phone screen of a man they claimed was Altaie, beaten up and bloody and demanded $250,000 from the soldier's family to secure his release.
Qanbar stated that he wouldn't talk about a price until he had seen for himself some proof that Altaie was still breathing. Qanbar suggested they have his nephew describe the inside of his home in Ann Arbor or that the kidnappers photograph the soldier holding a current newspaper by Saturday, November 4, at 12:00pm.
The U.S. government said Saturday, November 11 that it was offering a US $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Altaie.
On February 14, 2007, a proof of life video of Ahmed was posted on a militant Shiite website. A previously unknown group called the "Ahel al-Beit Brigades" claimed responsibility for Altaie's abduction. The eight second video showed Altaie reading from a paper but no audio was heard. He appeared thin but in good health. His uncle identified him as the man in the video. Altaie has not been seen or heard from since. The Iraqi media later reported that he was killed. In February 2010, A Shiite militia group called Asaib al-Haq claimed that they received Altaie's body from his captors.
Altaie is the only American serviceman still missing in Iraq. He was captured when he was the rank of Specialist and has since been promoted to Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
.http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/14/abducted.soldier/index.html
There is also a Facebook support page created by U.S. Army Retired Captain James Văn Thạch that connects supporters calling for the freedom of Altaie, which has over 6,000 members.http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=78722770405
See also
- SSG Keith Matthew Maupin - He was captured by Iraqi insurgents on April 9, 2004 while serving in the Iraq War and was executed sometime in late June 2004. An ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
spokesman later said the video showing Maupin's alleged execution was "totally inconclusive." His body was found in March 2008.http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/10/loc_loc1amaupin.html - PFC Jessica LynchJessica LynchJessica Dawn Lynch is a former Private First Class in the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. Lynch served in Iraq during the 2003 invasion by U.S. and allied forces. On March 23, 2003 she was injured and captured by Iraqi forces but was recovered on April 1 by U.S...
- She was injured and captured by Iraqi forces on March 23, 2003, but was recovered on 1 April by U.S. special operations forces, with the incident subsequently receiving considerable news coverage. - CAPT Michael Scott Speicher - He is a United States Navy pilot shot down in the Gulf War whose status became the subject of uncertainty and headlines, and whose death was not confirmed until August 2, 2009 after positive identification of his remains discovered near to his crash site.
External links
- Official facebook page supporting freedom for Staff Sergeant Ahmed K. Altaie
- Ahmed K. Altaie listed on the Iraq Page
- News report on July 22, 2008 about Ahmed Altaie's 43rd birthday and 21 months being held against his will. Ahmed is from Ann Arbor, Michigan and is a translator for the U.S. Army.
- News report from 'Action News' in Michigan about Staff Sergeant Altaie missing in Iraq
- Staff Sergeant Ahmed Altaie movie made by his former wife Linda Racey
- Search goes on for missing Americans in Iraq
- Official Facebook page of support for Staff Sergeant Ahmed K. Altaie
- POW Network - Bio on Ahmed K. Altaie, with information relating to his service.
- A Ransom Demand for the Missing U.S. Soldier
- Missing U.S. soldier was secretly married to college student from Baghdad
- Parents call missing U.S. soldier 'man of peace'
- Report: Abducted GI had married Iraqi woman
- TV report: mother of missing U.S. soldier appeals to his captors to show mercy
- Report: Missing soldier married Iraqi
- Iraqi prime minister gives U.S. envoy an earful in private talks
- US names kidnapped soldier
- Video released by Shiite militant group