Haroon al-Afghani was transferred to the Guantanamo detention camps on June 22, 2007, and was held there for 15 years.[7][8] On June 22, 2007, the United States Department of Defense acknowledged transferring Haroon al-Afghani to Guantanamo.[8][9][10] Prior to 2016, almost nothing certain was known about his background and activities. He had been held for more than eight years without being charged (leading to Al Jazeera naming him a "forever prisoner") before he was allowed legal representation, which was successfully pleaded for by Reprieve US.[4]
The DoD detained him on the claim that he was an Al-Qaeda courier and senior commander of Hezb-e-Islami/Gulbuddin who allegedly commanded multiple HiG terrorist cells, conducted IED (improvised explosive device) attacks in Nangarhar province, and had regular contact with senior Al-Qaeda and HiG leadership. The argument for his detention was that he may have had additional information with respect to ongoing Al-Qaeda operations, and may have had information that would be useful to them in thwarting future attacks.[10]
However, relatives, who were unaware of his location following his sudden abduction, rejected the story and stated that the accusations were baseless.[11] Reprieve US and his lawyer believe that, as supported by an Al Jazeera study, Al-Afghani is a victim of mistaken identity, and "has never been a member of the Taliban or al Qaeda, has never caused nor attempted to cause harm to American personnel or property and has never espoused violent beliefs."[4]
According to Jeffrey Kaye he feared other captives would regard him as an American spy.[12]
On January 21, 2009, the day he was inaugurated, United States PresidentBarack Obama issued three Executive orders related to the detention of individuals in Guantanamo.[13][14][15][16] He put in place a new review system composed of officials from six departments, where the OARDEC reviews were conducted entirely by the Department of Defense. When it reported back, a year later, the Joint Review Task Force classified some individuals as too dangerous to be transferred from Guantanamo, even though there was no evidence to justify laying charges against them. On April 9, 2013, that document was made public after a Freedom of Information Act request.[17] Haroon al-Afghani was one of the 71 individuals deemed too innocent to charge, but too dangerous to release. Obama said those deemed too innocent to charge, but too dangerous to release would start to receive reviews from a Periodic Review Board.
Periodic Review BoardEdit
The first review wasn't convened until November 20, 2013.[18] Haroon was approved for transfer on October 7, 2021.[19]
Al Jazeera profileEdit
The Al Jazeera news service profiled al-Afghani on January 20, 2016, describing him as an individual about whom "almost nothing certain is known".[11] They identified him as a "forever prisoner"—one of those the 2009 Guantanamo Review Task Force concluded was too dangerous to release—even though he was not charged with any crime.
It's believed that Afghani was born around 1981 and is from the Sherzad district in Nangarhar province in Afghanistan. "He was just a normal young boy", his relative said according to a report by Al Jazeera. Afghani was a student when the Taliban was in power. He studied economics at Hayatabad Science University in Peshawar, Pakistan.[citation needed]
Profile in AfghanistanEdit
The human rights group Reprieve has tried to make Haroon a household name, in Afghanistan, to generate public pressure for his release.[20] According to founder Clive Stafford Smith “With ordinary Afghans on his side it may bring the pressure we need at a time when the Americans are involved in peace talks with the Taliban.”
Stafford Smith noted that Haroon has yet to have had a visit from Afghan officials.[21]
^ ab "Terror Suspect Transferred To Guantanamo". Department of Defense. June 22, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
^ Deb Reichman (June 22, 2007). "U.S. says Afghan prison not meant to be Gitmo alternative". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
^ ab . Indiainfo. June 23, 2007. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
^ ab Sami Yousafzai, Jenifer Fenton (2016-01-20). "Gitmo 'forever prisoner' Haroon al-Afghani remains virtually unknown: Details surrounding the life and alleged crimes of one detainee at the notorious facility are essentially a mystery". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2016-01-21. In official documents, almost nothing certain is known about Afghani's background and activities. Yet he has been held for more than eight years without being charged. Afghani is a so-called forever prisoner, a detainee at Guantánamo who has not been charged with a crime but has not been cleared for transfer. Nor does he even have a lawyer.
^ Jeffrey Kaye (2019-03-15). "On the Death of Guantanamo Detainee 10028". Counterpunch. Retrieved 2020-05-20. One detainee who took pains to hide his informant status was Harun al-Afghani, aka Haroon Gul (ISN 3148), who was held in Camp Echo at the same time as Naseem. Like Naseem, he was also brought to Guantanamo in 2007.
^Andy Worthington (2012-10-25). "Who Are the 55 Cleared Guantánamo Prisoners on the List Released by the Obama Administration?". Retrieved 2015-02-19. I have already discussed at length the profound injustice of holding Shawali Khan and Abdul Ghani, in articles here and here, and noted how their cases discredit America, as Khan, against whom no evidence of wrongdoing exists, nevertheless had his habeas corpus petition denied, and Ghani, a thoroughly insignificant scrap metal merchant, was put forward for a trial by military commission — a war crimes trial — under President Bush.
^Andy Worthington (June 11, 2010). . Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
^ Peter Finn (January 22, 2010). "Justice task force recommends about 50 Guantanamo detainees be held indefinitely". Washington Post. from the original on 2015-05-04. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
^ Peter Finn (May 29, 2010). "Most Guantanamo detainees low-level fighters, task force report says". Washington Post. from the original on 2015-05-10. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
^ "71 Guantanamo Detainees Determined Eligible to Receive a Periodic Review Board as of April 19, 2013". Joint Review Task Force. 2013-04-09. from the original on 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
^"Unclassified Summary of Final Determination" (PDF). prs.mil. October 7, 2021.
^ Andrea Busfield (2020-01-31). "Turning a Gitmo detainee into an Afghan star". The Article. Retrieved 2020-05-20. And yet, the legal charity Reprieve says Asad (pictured) is "a total nobody" who was turned in for financial gain only to fall through the cracks as the years passed by. If he is ever to be freed, they say they need to make him a household name in his homeland.
^ Abdulhaq Omeri (2020-05-19). "Family of Afghan Gitmo Prisoner Calls for His Release". Tolo News. Retrieved 2020-05-20. His defense lawyer, Stafford Smith, said Haroon's family is in bad condition and he should be released soon .... for the 13 years that Haroon has been in Guantanamo Bay, he has never had a visit from an Afghan delegation," Smith said.
^"U.S. Repatriates Afghan Whose Guantánamo Detention Was Unlawful". The New York Times. June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
External linksEdit
Myopic Pentagon keeps filling Guantánamo Andy Worthington
Who Are the Remaining Prisoners in Guantánamo? Part Eight: Captured in Afghanistan (2002-07) Andy Worthington
August 28, 2023
haroon, afghani, asadullah, haroon, commonly, referred, afghani, afghan, pakistani, citizen, held, extrajudicial, detention, united, states, guantanamo, detention, camps, cuba, asadullah, haroon, gula, portrait, haroon, gulbornbetween, 1980, 1982, sherzad, dis. Asadullah Haroon Gul 4 5 commonly referred to as Haroon al Afghani the Afghani is an Afghan Pakistani citizen who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps in Cuba 6 Asadullah Haroon GulA portrait of Haroon gulBornBetween 1980 and 1982 1 2 Sherzad District Nangarhar Province AfghanistanArrested4 February 2007Jalalabad AfghanistanNational Directorate of SecurityCitizenshipPakistanDetained at GuantanamoOther name s Haroon al AfghaniISN3148 3 Charge s NoneStatusReleasedOccupationTrader of household goodsSpouseUnknown wifeChildrenUnknown daughterHaroon al Afghani was transferred to the Guantanamo detention camps on June 22 2007 and was held there for 15 years 7 8 On June 22 2007 the United States Department of Defense acknowledged transferring Haroon al Afghani to Guantanamo 8 9 10 Prior to 2016 almost nothing certain was known about his background and activities He had been held for more than eight years without being charged leading to Al Jazeera naming him a forever prisoner before he was allowed legal representation which was successfully pleaded for by Reprieve US 4 The DoD detained him on the claim that he was an Al Qaeda courier and senior commander of Hezb e Islami Gulbuddin who allegedly commanded multiple HiG terrorist cells conducted IED improvised explosive device attacks in Nangarhar province and had regular contact with senior Al Qaeda and HiG leadership The argument for his detention was that he may have had additional information with respect to ongoing Al Qaeda operations and may have had information that would be useful to them in thwarting future attacks 10 However relatives who were unaware of his location following his sudden abduction rejected the story and stated that the accusations were baseless 11 Reprieve US and his lawyer believe that as supported by an Al Jazeera study Al Afghani is a victim of mistaken identity and has never been a member of the Taliban or al Qaeda has never caused nor attempted to cause harm to American personnel or property and has never espoused violent beliefs 4 According to Jeffrey Kaye he feared other captives would regard him as an American spy 12 Contents 1 Joint Review Task Force 2 Periodic Review Board 3 Al Jazeera profile 4 Profile in Afghanistan 5 Release 6 References 7 External linksJoint Review Task Force EditOn January 21 2009 the day he was inaugurated United States President Barack Obama issued three Executive orders related to the detention of individuals in Guantanamo 13 14 15 16 He put in place a new review system composed of officials from six departments where the OARDEC reviews were conducted entirely by the Department of Defense When it reported back a year later the Joint Review Task Force classified some individuals as too dangerous to be transferred from Guantanamo even though there was no evidence to justify laying charges against them On April 9 2013 that document was made public after a Freedom of Information Act request 17 Haroon al Afghani was one of the 71 individuals deemed too innocent to charge but too dangerous to release Obama said those deemed too innocent to charge but too dangerous to release would start to receive reviews from a Periodic Review Board Periodic Review Board EditThe first review wasn t convened until November 20 2013 18 Haroon was approved for transfer on October 7 2021 19 Al Jazeera profile EditThe Al Jazeera news service profiled al Afghani on January 20 2016 describing him as an individual about whom almost nothing certain is known 11 They identified him as a forever prisoner one of those the 2009 Guantanamo Review Task Force concluded was too dangerous to release even though he was not charged with any crime It s believed that Afghani was born around 1981 and is from the Sherzad district in Nangarhar province in Afghanistan He was just a normal young boy his relative said according to a report by Al Jazeera Afghani was a student when the Taliban was in power He studied economics at Hayatabad Science University in Peshawar Pakistan citation needed Profile in Afghanistan EditThe human rights group Reprieve has tried to make Haroon a household name in Afghanistan to generate public pressure for his release 20 According to founder Clive Stafford Smith With ordinary Afghans on his side it may bring the pressure we need at a time when the Americans are involved in peace talks with the Taliban Stafford Smith noted that Haroon has yet to have had a visit from Afghan officials 21 Release EditHaroon was released on June 24 2022 22 References Edit Detainee Assessment Department of Defense Guantanamo Detainee Profile Detainee ISN AF 3148 PDF prs mil March 1 2016 The Detainees New York Times 2008 11 23 Archived from the original on 2008 11 06 Retrieved 2008 12 02 a b c Haroon Gul Reprieve US Rosenberg Carol 10 May 2021 U S Defends Detention of Afghan at Guantanamo Despite Pullout The New York Times Gabriel Haboubi June 22 2007 Afghan terror suspect transferred to Guantanamo Bay prison The Jurist Archived from the original on May 9 2009 Retrieved 2007 06 22 Margot Williams 2008 11 03 Guantanamo Docket Haroon al Afghani New York Times Archived from the original on 2011 04 29 Retrieved 2010 03 30 a b Terror Suspect Transferred To Guantanamo Department of Defense June 22 2007 Retrieved 2007 06 22 Deb Reichman June 22 2007 U S says Afghan prison not meant to be Gitmo alternative Houston Chronicle Retrieved 2007 06 22 a b Afghan insurgent commander lands in Guantanamo Indiainfo June 23 2007 Archived from the original on December 2 2008 Retrieved 2007 06 22 a b Sami Yousafzai Jenifer Fenton 2016 01 20 Gitmo forever prisoner Haroon al Afghani remains virtually unknown Details surrounding the life and alleged crimes of one detainee at the notorious facility are essentially a mystery Al Jazeera Retrieved 2016 01 21 In official documents almost nothing certain is known about Afghani s background and activities Yet he has been held for more than eight years without being charged Afghani is a so called forever prisoner a detainee at Guantanamo who has not been charged with a crime but has not been cleared for transfer Nor does he even have a lawyer Jeffrey Kaye 2019 03 15 On the Death of Guantanamo Detainee 10028 Counterpunch Retrieved 2020 05 20 One detainee who took pains to hide his informant status was Harun al Afghani aka Haroon Gul ISN 3148 who was held in Camp Echo at the same time as Naseem Like Naseem he was also brought to Guantanamo in 2007 Andy Worthington 2012 10 25 Who Are the 55 Cleared Guantanamo Prisoners on the List Released by the Obama Administration Retrieved 2015 02 19 I have already discussed at length the profound injustice of holding Shawali Khan and Abdul Ghani in articles here and here and noted how their cases discredit America as Khan against whom no evidence of wrongdoing exists nevertheless had his habeas corpus petition denied and Ghani a thoroughly insignificant scrap metal merchant was put forward for a trial by military commission a war crimes trial under President Bush Andy Worthington June 11 2010 Does Obama Really Know or Care About Who Is at Guantanamo Archived from the original on June 16 2010 Retrieved July 21 2010 Peter Finn January 22 2010 Justice task force recommends about 50 Guantanamo detainees be held indefinitely Washington Post Archived from the original on 2015 05 04 Retrieved July 21 2010 Peter Finn May 29 2010 Most Guantanamo detainees low level fighters task force report says Washington Post Archived from the original on 2015 05 10 Retrieved July 21 2010 71 Guantanamo Detainees Determined Eligible to Receive a Periodic Review Board as of April 19 2013 Joint Review Task Force 2013 04 09 Archived from the original on 2015 05 19 Retrieved 2015 05 18 Periodic Review Secretariat Review Information Periodic Review Secretariat Archived from the original on 2016 04 15 Retrieved 2016 04 18 Unclassified Summary of Final Determination PDF prs mil October 7 2021 Andrea Busfield 2020 01 31 Turning a Gitmo detainee into an Afghan star The Article Retrieved 2020 05 20 And yet the legal charity Reprieve says Asad pictured is a total nobody who was turned in for financial gain only to fall through the cracks as the years passed by If he is ever to be freed they say they need to make him a household name in his homeland Abdulhaq Omeri 2020 05 19 Family of Afghan Gitmo Prisoner Calls for His Release Tolo News Retrieved 2020 05 20 His defense lawyer Stafford Smith said Haroon s family is in bad condition and he should be released soon for the 13 years that Haroon has been in Guantanamo Bay he has never had a visit from an Afghan delegation Smith said U S Repatriates Afghan Whose Guantanamo Detention Was Unlawful The New York Times June 24 2022 Retrieved June 25 2022 External links EditMyopic Pentagon keeps filling Guantanamo Andy Worthington Who Are the Remaining Prisoners in Guantanamo Part Eight Captured in Afghanistan 2002 07 Andy Worthington Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Haroon al Afghani amp oldid 1152662260, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
