Farrell was warned not to go to the location in Kunduz where the air strike had been mounted. He is so careless and irresponsible that he has caused deaths of people who would otherwise have lived. He is so ego-centric that he credits his unfortunate interpreter with ‘trying to protect him’ when in fact they were both merely making a dash for safety. Farrell made it!
He doesn’t appear to blame himself for causing the death of a British soldier when he can’t even make up his miknd whether he is British or Irish. He is British, it seems, when it suits him especially when there are no Irish troops around to rescue him.
As far as Brown’s involvement to gain favourable ‘spin’ this has also infuriated those trying to get Farrell out by negotiation . The Times reports “Hostage negotiators expressed shock and anger at Gordon Brown’s decision to approve a commando raid to free a kidnapped British journalist, saying that they were within days of securing his release through peaceful means”
“Tuesday night’s raid was approved by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, and Bob Ainsworth, the Defence Secretary, after consulting Gordon Brown, The Times can confirm” WHY did the state go to such lengths to protect a man who refused to protect himself. Publicity, that's why!
I can’t think why they all bothered to try to rescue him. He was repeatedly advised not to go and he ignored the warnings. He is ‘accident prone’ and a total egotist who has the blood of many people on his hands now.
Christina
TELEGRAPH 9.9.09
Stephen Farrell blames himself for interpreter's death in Afghanistan
A British journalist freed from Taliban captivity in a commando raid has said he blames himself for the death of his Afghan colleague shot down in the assault.
By Ben Farmer in Kabul
Stephen Farrell was freed by British special forces after being taken hostage visiting the site of a controversial air strike on two hijacked fuel tankers that killed several civilians.
Sultan Munadi, his interpreter, a British paratrooper and a local civilian woman died in the helicopter dawn raid to free him.
Mr Farrell, who was working for the New York Times, told his newspaper: "He [Mr Munadi] was trying to protect me up to the last minute." [Mere ‘journalese’. HOW was he trying to protect him? With what? Mere hack’s hype -cs] The pair decided to leave their prison when the raid began, fearing they would gunned down if they stayed. Mr Munadi led the way and was felled by a burst of gunfire.
"He was three seconds away from safety.
"I thought we were safe. He just walked into a hail of bullets," said Mr Farrell.
British military officials have been angered by the loss of a British soldier to free a journalist who had ignored police warnings not to visit the airstrike site.
The area of Kunduz province where the tankers were destroyed is a renowned Taliban stronghold with no government control.
One senior Army source told the Daily Telegraph "When you look at the number of warnings this person had it makes you really wonder whether he was worth rescuing, whether it was worth the cost of a soldier's life." The raid was launched four days after the pair were taken amid fears the local Taliban kidnappers were to pass on their captives to more fanatical al Qaeda fighters and smuggle them to Pakistan.
Mr Farrell said as the days progressed the atmosphere became menacing and both had discussed the possibility they would be executed. Their captors taunted Mr Munadi by likening him to another kidnapped journalist's translator beheaded two years ago.
Mr Farrell told the New York Times: "I did not think they were going to kill me. I did think they were going to kill him." Mr Munadi also feared he would die and told Mr Farrell: "I think you're going to be okay, but they've got it in for me." The pair were repeatedly moved during their captivity as the Taliban appeared to move freely in the area. [We only have the irresponsible Farrell’s word for this account. He is trying to move the blame from himself to the Taleban, to quieten his conscience -cs]
Mr Farrell said: "They drove us around Char Dara [district], almost always in the same old Toyota Corolla, sometimes with masked and turbaned motorcycle outriders, rocket-propelled grenades sticking out of backpacks in full daylight, just a few miles from the main Kabul to Kunduz road."
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