Afghan Detainee Freed From Guantanamo After 14 Yrs
MEP: An Afghan detainee has been cleared for release from the U.S. base Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, who once faced war crimes charges, the government announced Friday.
The Periodic Review Board, which conducts parole-style hearings for Guantánamo prisoners, determined it was no longer necessary to detain the man, known by the single name of Obaidullah. A statement announcing the decision was posted on a Pentagon website.
The board found that “the risks that the detainee presents can be adequately mitigated,” according to the three-paragraph statement.
U.S. forces captured Obaidullah during a raid in Afghanistan in July 2002 when he was about 19. They found about 20 inactivated land mines buried in a field near his home. Authorities later concluded he was part of a bomb cell linked to al-Qaida, an allegation his lawyers have denied.
He was charged in US military tribunals in September 2008 with conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism.
The government however dismissed the charges in 2011 and his lawyers have been pressing for his release ever since.
There are 80 prisoners still held at Guantánamo, including 28 cleared for release.
