Two Afghan citizens freed from Guantanamo returned home after 22 years

Two Afghan nationals who were released from the notorious Guantanamo prison returned to Afghanistan today after 22 years.

These two Afghan citizens were imprisoned in the American prison for many years.

According to Bakhtar News Agency, Mullah Abdul Zahir Saber and Abdul Karim, who were released, were warmly welcomed by several officials of the Afghan government at Kabul International Airport.

Mullah Abdul Zahir Saber, who was released, belongs to Hisarak village of Pul Alam Shahr, the center of Logar province.

He was arrested by US forces on May 10, 2002.

In October 2002, after spending four months at Bagram prison, Saber was transferred to Guantanamo Bay.

Mullah Abdul Zahir Saber was transferred to Oman in 2017 after spending 17 years in prison at Guantanamo.

Another citizen who returned to Afghanistan is Abdul Kareem, a resident of Woznian village in Tandrio district of Khost province.

He was arrested by the Pakistan government in 2002 and handed over to the US forces a few months later.

After spending 14 years in Guantanamo prison, he was also transferred to Oman.

Since 2017, the two Afghan nationals have been living there under the strict surveillance of the Omani government and without travel permits.

Even before this, another Afghan citizen, Haji Bishr Noorzai, has been released from Guantanamo and returned with the efforts of the Islamic Emirate.

The United States opened the detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba under President George W. Bush in January 2002 after the 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan to capture al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The purpose of the prison then was to capture and interrogate suspects with ties to al-Qaeda or the Taliban who harbored Osama bin Laden.

However, several suspects from various countries were later sent there and the detention center gained notoriety after reports of inmate abuse and torture surfaced.

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