VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBUL #0696 0630651
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 040651Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6519
INFO RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 0190
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 1371
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUMICEA/JICCENT MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY

S E C R E T KABUL 000696 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SC/A (SINGRAM), L/PM (EPELOFSKY), S/WCI 
(SHODGKINSON), S/CR, WHA/CAN (FHERNANDEZ), NEA/ELA, EUR/RPM 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN 
CENTCOM FOR CG CJTF-76, POLAD, CSTA-A 
DOD FOR OSD (ARICCI) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2017 
TAGS: CASC KAWC MARR PTER CONS CA EG AF
SUBJECT: EXPEDITING MEDICAL RELEASE/TRANSFER OF 
CANADIAN-EGYPTIAN DETAINEE FROM BTIF 
 
REF: A. KABUL 367 
     ¶B. 12DEC06 ACTION MEMO TO USD(P) 
 
Classified By: Political-Military Affairs Counselor Carol A. Rodley; re 
asons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action request; please see paragraph 5. 
 
¶2. (S) Per ref A, Canadian officials paid a first consular 
visit to detainee Khaled Samy Abdalla ISMAIL in the Bagram 
Theater Internment Facility (BTIF) on January 11 and advised 
that Mr. Ismail, who is a dual Canadian/Egyptian national, 
chose not to renounce his Canadian citizenship.  Ref A relays 
a Canadian diplomatic note of January 21 which asks for 
clarification of Mr. Ismail's "legal status as well as the 
nature of any charges he is or may be facing" and whether Mr. 
Ismail "has been visited by a mental health professional 
while in custody of the United States." 
 
¶3.  (S) Mr. Ismail arrived at BTIF in May 2006 and was not 
assessed as mentally ill during his June 2006 intake medical 
examination, though he was assessed as narcissistic and 
arrogant. According to BTIF officers, he has since developed 
symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia and since February, his 
physical and mental health have deteriorated seriously. He 
has lost considerable weight and is refusing medicine by 
mouth and food.  He has been medically segregated within the 
BTIF and has not fought recent intravenous administration of 
anti-schizophrenia medication, but doctors and psychiatrists 
have not yet observed any improvement in his condition. 
 
¶4.  (S) Prior to the serious manifestation of Mr. Ismail's 
schizophrenic symptoms and the Canadian consular visit, 
CJTF-76 had recommended to CENTCOM that Mr. Ismail, a 
Low-Threat Low Level Enemy Combatant, be transferred for 
continued detention in Egypt.  CJTF-76 reports this 
recommendation has not yet been approved by OSD. CSTC-A Staff 
Judge Advocate has advised there is no precedent regarding 
the country to which BTIF should transfer a dual national. It 
is not clear to post if the January 13 2004 exchange of 
letters between Canada and the United States on notification 
of a citizen's involuntary removal to a third country would 
apply to a  transfer from BTIF, but we believe we must be 
cognizant of it. In light of Ismail's Canadian citizenship 
and the serious deterioration of Mr. Ismail's health, CJTF-76 
now plans to recommend to OSD that Canada be asked to accept 
transfer of Mr. Ismail. In response to the ref A question on 
whether Mr. Ismail has been visited by a mental health 
professional while in the BTIF, the CJTF-76 response to OSD 
on February 24 recommended that a Canadian physician from 
their hospital in Kabul could be invited to assess Ismail and 
discuss the case with the resident BTIF senior psychiatrist. 
 
¶5. (S) Action request:  Post concurs with CJTF-76's 
recommendation that the Government of Canada be approached 
and asked to take custody of Mr.Ismail for medical 
release/transfer. We share CJTF-76's concern that Mr. 
Ismail's health will continue to deteriorate while in 
detention at BTIF. Post is prepared to coordinate with the 
Canadian Embassy here on this matter and requests guidance 
regarding how to proceed. 
 
NEUMANN