Ahmed Kousay al-Taie

Ahmed Kousay Altaie
Born	22 July 1965 Iraq
Died	2007 (aged 41–42) Iraq
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	2004–2007
Rank	Staff Sergeant (promoted in absentia)
Unit	Provincial Reconstruction Team Baghdad
Battles/wars	Iraq War
Spouse(s)	Linda Racey

Ahmed Kousay Altaie (born 22 July 1965 – 2007) was a United States Army soldier, who was captured in October 2006 in Baghdad and later executed by his captors.

Early life and education

Altaie was born in Iraq^[1][2][3][4] on 22 July 1965, to Kousay and Nawal Altaie. At the age of nine, he emigrated with his family from Iraq to the United Kingdom. He was of mixed Sunni and Shia parentage.^[5]

Career

Altaie enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in December 2004. He was mobilized in August 2005 and deployed to Iraq in November 2005. During his tenure in the United States Army, Altaie served as a linguist.^[6]

Prisoner of war

On 23 October 2006, Altaie left his military base in Iraq without authorization or the knowledge of his superiors. It is believed that he was in the Karrada neighborhood in central Baghdad, Iraq to visit the family of his second wife, Israa Abdul-Satar, a student at al-Mustansiriya University. He was captured by armed men and forced into a waiting vehicle outside.

On 2 November 2006, a ransom demand for Altaie was relayed to his uncle Entifadh 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 4 November 2006 at 12:00pm.

The U.S. government said on 11 November 2006 that it was offering a US $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Altaie's body.

On 14 February 2007, a proof of life video of Altaie 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.^[7]

Altaie was the last American serviceman to be accounted for in Iraq. He was captured when he was the rank of Specialist and was promoted to Sergeant, then Staff Sergeant.

On 26 February 2012, U.S. military officers knocked on the door of the family home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with news that Army Staff Sgt. Ahmed Altaie was confirmed dead. The remains of Altaie were turned over as part of an amnesty exchange agreement between the Iraqi government and the militant group Asaib Ahl al-Haq. Altaie's captors acknowledged killing him within a year of his capture.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Personal life

Altaie's first wife was Linda Racey of Farmington Hills, Michigan.^[12][13]

See also

• Wassef Ali Hassoun – A U.S. Marine who claimed to be captured by Iraqi insurgents; later discovered to be a hoax
• American POWs in the 2003 invasion of Iraq
• 2004 Iraq KBR convoy ambush – Capture and execution of Keith Matthew Maupin, a U.S. Army soldier
• June 2006 abduction of U.S. soldiers in Iraq – Capture and execution of Kristian Menchaca and Thomas L. Tucker, two U.S. Army soldiers
• Karbala provincial headquarters raid – Capture and execution of Brian Freeman, Jacob Fritz, Jonathan Chism and Shawn Falter, four U.S. Army soldiers
• May 2007 abduction of U.S. soldiers in Iraq – Capture and execution of Alex Ramon Jimenez, Joseph John Anzack and Byron Wayne Fouty, three U.S. Army soldiers

References

1. "Most Popular E-mail Newsletter". USA Today. 27 February 2012.
2. "Shiite extremist group returns remains of last US soldier missing in Iraq". Fox News. 27 February 2012.
3. http://www.npr.org/2012/02/27/147523337/remains-of-last-missing-us-soldier-return-from-iraq
4. "Now we know who kidnapped Staff Sgt. Ahmed al-Taie in Iraq in 2006". The Oregonian. 27 February 2012.
5. Von Zielbauer, Paul (3 November 2006). "Father of Missing U.S. Soldier Says Son Just Made a Mistake in Quest to Find His Calling". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
6. Ryan, John, "Search for Iraq-born soldier still ongoing", Military Times, 27 December 2011.
7. Arwa Damon; Yousif Bassel; Jomana Karadsheh; Mohammed Tawfeeq (14 February 2007). "Uncle: Abducted U.S. soldier appears in video". CNN. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
8. Allam, Hannah. "U.S. military receives remains of last soldier missing in Iraq – World Wires". MiamiHerald.com. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
9. Army IDs remains of last missing U.S. soldier in Iraq
10. "Michigan burial for last U.S. soldier missing in Iraq". Reuters. 27 February 2012.
11. Phillips, Michael M., "Last Missing Soldier In Iraq: Family Finally Learns Fate", Wall Street Journal, 27 February 2012, p. 1.
12. "Hunting for Our MIAs". Time. 27 January 2012.
13. http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/last-missing-soldier-in-iraq-returned-home-to-southeast-michigan

External links

• Search goes on for missing Americans in Iraq
• A Ransom Demand for the Missing U.S. Soldier
• Parents call missing U.S. soldier 'man of peace'
• Report: Abducted GI had married Iraqi woman
• Report: Missing soldier married Iraqi
• Iraqi prime minister gives U.S. envoy an earful in private talks
• US names kidnapped soldier