submitted by dadaist
By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army said on Wednesday it was investigating a 50-year-old colonel who allegedly proposed marriage to dozens of women he contacted using Internet dating services.
Col. Kassem Saleh, a married man derisively referred to as "Kassanova" by some of the American and Canadian women he allegedly wooed on the Web, met many of them through an Internet site that arranges dates for tall men and women.
"I was one of the recent conquests," one woman, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters. "All of the ladies involved are extremely professional, intelligent women. They are not little dummy housewives or bumpkins from the woods. That's how good he was."
She added, "You have to take people at face value. So whether you meet them on the Internet, at a bar or at church, whatever, they are either ethical or they are not."
Saleh recently led reconstruction and humanitarian efforts for the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan and now is stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
"There is an investigation under way. The command is aware of the allegation against Colonel Saleh," said Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Fletcher, a spokesman for the Army's 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg.
Fletcher said it was unclear what possible violations of the law or military rules Saleh may have committed. "We've got to wait for the investigation to be completed to see if there is any truth to the allegations. Right now, it's just their word against his," Fletcher said.
A group of the women issued a statement saying they had given information to investigators, adding that they were not after vengeance or financial gain but "it is about justice."
The New York Times on Wednesday reported Saleh used the Internet from 1998 until earlier this year to romance at least 50 women aged 33 to 57. One woman said he called himself the "Warrior Monk" because he had not had sex in a decade while awaiting the perfect mate, the Times said.
The paper quoted women as saying they met Saleh using Internet sites like
www.tallpersonals.com., which boasts: "When it comes to love, dating and romance on the Internet, we think you are going to be pleasantly surprised and very happy you found Tall Personals!"
The Times quoted women who had seen Saleh as saying he was about 5 feet 10 inches tall.
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