NEW YORK (AP) — An Afghan man already facing charges in the 2008 gunpoint kidnapping of a New York Times reporter and another journalist was charged on Thursday in the killing of three American soldiers.

A revised indictment against Haji Najibullah accused him of commanding the Taliban fighters behind a fatal ambush of Sgt. 1st Class Matthew L. Hilton, Sgt. 1st Class Joseph A. McKay and Sgt. Mark Palmateer in Afghanistan, also in 2008.

Hilton, 37, of Livonia, Michigan, was assigned to the 425th Infantry Regiment of the Michigan National Guard. McKay, 51, of Brooklyn, New York, was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition), of the New York Army National Guard. Palmateer, 38, of Poughkeepsie, NY, was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition), of the New York Army National Guard.

The three National Guard soldiers were killed June 26, 2008, near Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, when their convoy encountered improvised explosive devices, small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

The document also alleges Najibullah helped down an American military helicopter in a separate attack later in the year.

An attorney for Najibullah, who’s in U.S. custody, declined Thursday to comment on the new charges.

Najibullah, 45, was brought to the United States last year to face original charges including hostage taking, conspiracy and kidnapping. Prosecutors alleged he orchestrated the abduction of David Rohde, who then worked for the Times, and Afghan journalist Tahir Ludin as they were heading to interview a Taliban leader.

Both victims made a dramatic escape from a Taliban-controlled compound in Pakistan’s tribal areas more than seven months after their Nov. 10, 2008, kidnapping. Their driver, Asadullah Mangal, was a third kidnapping victim and escaped a few weeks after Ludin and Rohde.

An arraignment for Najibullah is set for Oct. 15 in federal court in Manhattan. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

Share:
In Other News
No more stories