Should A Guantanamo Detainee Get A Reduced Sentence Because He Was 'Tortured'?

A Navy officer, center, and two Army officers enter Camp VI at the detention center at the Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (Walter Michot / Miami Herald / MCT / August 6, 2012)

NPR: Guantanamo Judge Rules Tortured Prisoner Could Get Reduced Sentence

A judge at the U.S. military court in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has ruled that a prisoner there may be entitled to a more lenient sentence if he was tortured in CIA custody. The decision could potentially apply to several of the other 40 remaining prisoners there, including five men facing charges in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The ruling by Col. Douglas K. Watkins came in the case of Majid Khan, who in 2012 pleaded guilty to helping finance the 2003 bombing of a Marriott hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, that killed 11 people. Khan has been held in captivity for more than 17 years, and he alleges he suffered egregious mistreatment during his imprisonment.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: No one knows what that reduced sentence means. If it is significant, there will be blowback.

Former Driver Of Osama Bin Laden And Guantanamo Prisoner Captured In Libya After The Defeat Of His Islamist Militia Group

Abu Sufian Bin Qumu has reportedly been captured in Libya where he established Islamist faction Ansar al-Sharia

Daily Mail: Osama Bin Laden’s driver who was linked to 2012 Benghazi attack that killed a US diplomat ‘is captured in Libya’, 11 years after he was released from Guantanamo

* Reports: Libya National Army have captured a 'high-ranking al-Qaeda' operative
* Suspect found in Derna is named as Ansar al-Sharia leader Abu Sufian Bin Qumu
* Bin Qumu was once personal driver to al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden
* He has links to the diplomatic compound attack by gunmen that killed US envoy Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi in 2012

Reports have emerged that the Libyan army has arrested Abu Sufian Bin Qumu, a leader of an Islamist militia group and former driver of Osama Bin Laden.

He was reportedly captured in raids in 'one of the last strongholds' of extremist groups in Derna.

Bin Qumu had purported links to attacks in Benghazi that killed US diplomat Chris Stevens in 2012.

Read more ....

Update: Libyan army arrests former bin Laden driver Abu Sufian bin Qumu in Derna (Al Arabiya)

WNU editor: I think years from now .... when the final analysis of Guantanamo Bay has been done .... we will find out that a good number of these detainees when they were released eventually went back into the fight.

Nearly 30 Percent Of Guantanamo Transfers Confirmed Of Returning To Terrorist Activities

Detainees converse inside a communal area of Camp 6 at Joint Task Force Guantanamo, Cuba, on Oct. 20, 2010. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Elisha Dawkins)

PJ Media: Nearly 30 Percent of Gitmo Transfers Confirmed or Suspected of Returning to Terror

WASHINGTON -- Nearly 30 percent of Guantanamo detainees that have been transferred out of the prison are confirmed to have or are suspected of returning to terrorist activities, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in an update Friday.

Per six-month reporting guidelines, ODNI said that as of Jan. 15 of this year 728 detainees have been transferred out of Gitmo. Of these, 123 have been confirmed to have rejoined terrorist groups. Thirty-three of those are now dead, 22 are in foreign custody, and 68 are at large.

Of the 728 released detainees, 94 are suspected of going back to terrorism. Four of those are deceased, 18 are in foreign custody, and 72 are at large.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Only 30%?

White House Quietly Transfers 10 Guantánamo Prisoners to Oman

New York Times: 10 More Detainees Are Transferred From Guantánamo Prison

WASHINGTON — With days left in the Obama administration, the United States has sent 10 more lower-level detainees from the wartime prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to Oman, and lawyers for two more who are on a list of those recommended for transfer are urgently asking a court to send them home as well.

The government of Oman announced early on Monday that it had resettled the 10 men. They were from a list of those approved for transfer, many after about 15 years of detention without trial, but remained stranded because they come from unstable countries like Yemen. Oman, which has a custodial rehabilitation program for Islamist extremists, previously took in 20 detainees, all Yemenis.

The Pentagon had not yet formally announced the transfer or named the 10 men, but a defense official confirmed that 10 prisoners had been transferred to Oman. The transfers reduced the remaining population at the prison to 45. Nine of those men are approved for transfer to a country that is willing and able to provide security assurances.

Read more ....

More News On The White House Transferring 10 Guantánamo Prisoners to Oman

Oman says it accepts 10 Guantanamo Bay detainees -- AP
10 Guantanamo Prisoners Freed In Oman; 45 Detainees Remain -- NPR
Oman accepts 10 Guantanamo Bay detainees at U.S. request -- UPI
Oman takes 10 Guantanamo inmates as Obama looks to legacy -- DW
Guantanamo Bay: Oman receives 10 released inmates -- BBC
Oman accepts 10 Gitmo detainees -- The Hill

President Obama Has Approved The Transfer Of 18 Guantanamo Detainees Before He Leaves Office

A guard tower of Camp Delta is seen at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba September 4, 2007. Reuters/Joe Skipper

New York Times: Obama Administration Intends to Transfer 17 or 18 Guantánamo Detainees

WASHINGTON — When Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy visited the White House in October for a state dinner, he made a commitment to President Obama: Italy, which resettled a Yemeni detainee from Guantánamo Bay last summer, would take one more person on the transfer list. But before the deal was completed, Mr. Renzi resigned.

So a day after his successor, Paolo Gentiloni, formed a government on Dec. 14, Secretary of State John Kerry called to congratulate Mr. Gentiloni — and to urge him to follow through on the commitment, according to an official familiar with the negotiations. Mr. Gentiloni agreed, leading a rush to finalize the details and paperwork.

The effort was part of a burst of urgent, high-level diplomatic talks aimed at moving as many as possible of Guantánamo’s 22 prisoners who are recommended for transfer. By law, the Pentagon must notify Congress 30 days before a transfer, so the deadline to set in motion deals before the end of the Obama administration was Monday.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: That will leave 41 remaining detainees for President-elect Trump when he assumes the Presidency.

White House Orders The Release Of Fifteen Guantanamo Bay Detainees To United Arab Emirates

The Guardian: US transfers 15 Guantánamo detainees in largest single release under Obama

Only 61 detainees remain at US facility after transfer made in final months of Obama’s presidency, a move to be announced by Pentagon later on Monday.

The largest single transfer of Guantánamo Bay detainees of Barack Obama’s presidency was announced on Monday, as 15 long-held men departed the infamous detention center.

The transfer, officially announced by the Pentagon on Monday evening, brings the Guantánamo detainee population down to 61.

Read more ....

More News On The White House Ordering The Release Of Fifteen Guantanamo Bay Detainees To The United Arab Emirates

Obama administration approves its largest single release of Guantanamo detainees ever -- Washington Post
Guantanamo Bay: US in largest detainee transfer under Obama -- BBC
U.S. Transfers 15 Guantanamo Bay Detainees -- WSJ
Largest transfer of Gitmo detainees under Obama announced -- CNN
Pentagon releases 15 more Gitmo detainees -- USA Today
Fifteen Guantanamo Bay Detainees Released to United Arab Emirates -- NBC
Washington transfers 15 Guantanamo prisoners to UAE -- Al Jazeera
15 Guantanamo Bay Detainees Transferred To United Arab Emirates -- NPR

Pentagon Releases Report That Details On Who Remains In Guantanamo And The Details On Why They Are Still There

Soldiers attached to Joint Task Force Guantanamo walk through Camp Delta at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Tuesday

The Hill: Pentagon releases report detailing Gitmo detainees' backgrounds

After months of wrangling, the Pentagon has given Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) a 33-page report on more than 100 Guantánamo Bay detainees.

The unclassified report is based on available public information such as the detainee profiles written for Guantánamo's parole-like review board and posted on its website, but this is the first time the data has been compiled in one document.

Ayotte, who released the report publicly Wednesday after first providing it to The Associated Press, said it shows why the detention facility must remain open.

Read more ....

Update #1: A look at Guantanamo detainees transferred, or cleared to go (AP)
Update #2: A look at Guantanamo's dwindling population (US News and World Report)
Update #3: Cook, bookkeeper and 'worst of the worst' held at Guantanamo -report (Reuters)

WNU Editor: The list (and details) on who remains in Guantanamo is here.

U.S. Transfers Two More Guantanamo Detainees To Serbia

The outside of the "Camp Five" detention facility is seen at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba December 10, 2008. REUTERS/Mandel Ngan/Pool/File Photo

Reuters: U.S. transfers two Guantanamo inmates to Serbia

Two inmates from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are being transferred to Serbia, leaving 76 detainees at the facility, the U.S. government said on Monday.

The Department of Defense announced the transfer of Yemeni national Mansur Ahmad Saad al-Dayfi and Tajik national Muhammadi Davlatov.

It is the first time the United States has transferred Guantanamo Bay prisoners to Serbia, said Lee Wolosky, the State Department special envoy for Guantanamo's closure.

"The United States appreciates the generous assistance of Serbia as the United States continues its efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility," Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. "This significant humanitarian gesture is consistent with Serbia’s leadership on the global stage."

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This announcement follows yesterday's transfer of a Guanatanmo inmate to Italy .... U.S. Transfers Yemeni Guantanamo Detainee To Italy, 78 Detainees Left (July 10, 2016).

More News On U.S. Transfering Two More Guantanamo Detainees To Serbia

2 Guantánamo Bay Prisoners Are Transferred to Serbia -- NYT
2 Guantanamo Detainees Sent to Serbia in Latest Releases -- AP
AFP: US transfers two Guantanamo detainees to Serbia: Pentagon -- iFocus/AFP

U.S. Transfers Yemeni Guantanamo Detainee To Italy, 78 Detainees Left

A soldier stands guard in a tower overlooking Camp Delta at Guantanamo Bay naval base in a December 31, 2009 file photo provided by the US Navy. REUTERS/US NAVY/SPC. CODY BLACK/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

Reuters: U.S. sends Yemeni Guantanamo inmate to Italy, 78 detainees left

The United States said on Sunday it had transferred a Yemeni inmate from the Guantanamo Bay prison to Italy, bringing the number of detainees at the U.S. naval base in Cuba to 78.

Fayiz Ahmad Yahia Suleiman was approved for transfer nearly six years ago by six U.S. agencies - the Departments of Defense, State, Justice and Homeland Security, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"The United States is very grateful to the Government of Italy for its continued assistance in closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay," said Lee Wolosky, the U.S. special envoy for Guantanamo's closure, describing the effort to shut the prison as a "shared goal."

Read more ....

US Transfers Yemeni Detainee From Guantanamo to Italy

US transfers Guantanamo inmate to Italy: official -- AFP
US Transfers Yemeni Detainee From Guantanamo to Italy -- Wall Street Journal
US frees Yemeni prisoner from Guantanamo, sends him to Italy -- FOX News
US Transfers Yemeni Terror Suspect from Guantanamo -- VOA
Guantanamo Bay detainee transferred to Italy -- UPI
'High risk' al Qaeda member transferred from Guantanamo Bay -- Washington Examiner

Report: 12 Released Guantanamo Detainees Have Been Implicated In Attacks On Americans That Killed 6 Including A Female Aid Worker

The sun rises on June 6 over Camp Delta detention compound, which has housed foreign prisoners since 2002, at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba. (Brennan Linsley/AFP/Getty

Washington Post: At least 12 released Guantanamo detainees implicated in attacks on Americans

The Obama administration believes that at least 12 detainees released from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have launched attacks against U.S. or allied forces in Afghanistan, killing about a half-dozen Americans, according to current and former U.S. officials.

In March, a senior Pentagon official made a startling admission to lawmakers when he acknowledged that former Guantanamo inmates were responsible for the deaths of Americans overseas.

The official, Paul Lewis, who oversees Guantanamo issues at the Defense Department, provided no details, and the Obama administration has since declined to elaborate publicly on his statement because the intelligence behind it is classified.

But The Washington Post has learned additional details about the suspected attacks, including the approximate number of detainees and victims involved and the fact that, while most of the incidents were directed at military personnel, the dead also included one American civilian: a female aid worker who died in Afghanistan in 2008. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, declined to give an exact number for Americans killed or wounded in the attacks, saying the figure is classified.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This information should not be classified Top Secret. People have a right to know, starting with the families who have lost loved ones.

More News On Reports That Released Guantanamo Detainees Have Been Implicated In Attacks On Americans

Former Gitmo detainees killed Americans in Afghanistan in pre-2009 attacks - USA Today
Released Gitmo Detainees Killed Americans, Including at Least One Civilian -- Slate
12 Released Gitmo Detainees Have Killed 6 Americans, Including 1 Female Civilian -- Daily Caller
12 Freed Gitmo Inmates Linked to US Deaths -- Newser
Secrecy abounds over 12 Gitmo detainees, attacks on American -- RT

AP: The White House Intends To Transfer 30 Of The Remaining 80 Enemy Combatants At Guantanamo In The Next Two Months

WNU Editor: According to the AP, President Obama is rushing to transfer 30 of the 80 prisoners from Guanatanmoin in the next two months .... Obama scrambling to release as many prisoners as possible from Guantanamo Bay before he leaves office (AP). The status of the remaining 50 prisoners remains unclear.

A Look At The Remaining Detainees Held At Guantanamo Bay

A guard tower of Camp Delta is seen at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba September 4, 2007. Reuters/Joe Skipper

Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal: Guantanamo Bay: The remaining detainees

Editor’s note: Below is Thomas Joscelyn’s testimony to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security, on the remaining detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. For the PDF with footnotes, click here.

Chairman DeSantis, Ranking Member Lynch, and other members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to testify today. I have been writing about Guantanamo and the detainees held there for more than a decade and I visited the detention facility in 2008. I have reviewed most, if not almost all, of the publicly available files created by the U.S. government on the individual detainees, as well as the habeas decisions issued by the courts. This material constitutes thousands of pages of source files, which I have summarized in databases containing dozens of variables on most of the men who have been detained. The Guantanamo detainees are a regular part of my coverage at The Long War Journal, which was among the first publications to report that former detainee Ibrahim al Qosi, who is a senior al Qaeda figure, had rejoined the fight.

The key points in my testimony today are as follows:

Read more ....

WNU Editor: For all those who follow the Guantanamo Bay prison/detainee story .... this is for you.

US Transfers 9 Yemeni Inmates From Guantanamo To Saudi Arabia

The Guardian: Nine more Guantánamo Bay prisoners released as population dwindles to 80

* Hunger striker Tariq Ba Odah among nine Yemenis released
* Move announced ahead of Obama visit to key ally Saudi Arabia

As Barack Obama prepares to visit Saudi Arabia, the Saudi royal family has taken custody of nine longtime Guantánamo Bay detainees, bringing Obama closer to his goal of shuttering the infamous detention facility.

The transfer puts the residual Guantánamo detainee population at 80, the lowest it has been in its 14-year history.

The transfer also clears another statistical milestone for the administration. There are now more detainees approved to leave Guantánamo, 26, than there are so-called “forever detainees”, the term lawyers use to describe those whom the administration has insufficient evidence to charge but claims are too dangerous to release.

There are 22 “forever prisoners”, who are expected to remain confined even if Obama succeeds in his goal of closing the Guantánamo detention center.

They are joined by 32 men in some stage of the long-stalled military tribunals process, although 22 of those have been referred for prosecution and not yet charged.

Read more ....

More News On The US Transfering 9 Yemeni Inmates From Guantanamo To Saudi Arabia

9 Guantanamo Bay detainees, including one who waged a long hunger strike, are sent to Saudi Arabia -- Washington Post
9 Guantánamo Prisoners From Yemen Are Sent to Saudi Arabia -- NYT
U.S. sends nine Yemeni prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to Saudi Arabia -- Reuters
U.S. Transfers Nine Guantanamo Prisoners to Saudi Arabia -- WSJ
U.S. Transfers Nine Guantanamo Bay Prisoners to Saudi Arabia -- Bloomberg
Nine Guantanamo detainees transferred to Saudi Arabia -- CNN
US Transfers 9 Yemeni Inmates From Guantanamo -- VOA
US frees 9 Guantanamo prisoners, sends them to Saudi Arabia -- FOX News

Guantánamo Detainee Refuses To Leave

Photo: Mohammed Ali Abdullah Bwazir, one of three prisoners who were to be released from Guantánamo this week, was frightened to leave the prison and go to a country where he had no family, his lawyer, John Chandler, said. Credit Department of Defense

New York Times: Guantánamo Detainee Refuses Release Offer

WASHINGTON — Three Guantánamo detainees were slated to leave the American prison in Cuba this week after about 14 years in captivity. But early Wednesday morning, only two were willing to board the plane.

The third – Mohammed Ali Abdullah Bwazir of Yemen – balked at the last minute, even though he has a history of hunger striking to protest his indefinite detention without trial. In recent days, Mr. Bwazir was “frightened” to leave the prison and go to a country where he has no family, his lawyer, John Chandler, said. The country has not been identified.

Mr. Chandler also said his client – who was born around 1980 and brought to Guantánamo in 2002 – was depressed. He compared his client to a character in the prison movie “The Shawshank Redemption” who has spent so much of his life behind bars that he cannot handle life on the outside after finally being paroled.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Two other detainees did accept the offer to leave .... 2 Guantanamo Detainees Transferred to Bosnia, Montenegro (VOA)

More News On A Guantánamo Detainee Refusing To Leave Detention

Guantánamo detainee declines release; 2 others sent to Balkans -- Miami Herald
Gitmo detainee cleared for release refuses to leave -- The Hill
Month of Guantanamo releases ends as 2 more leave, 1 refuses -- AP
Mohammad Bwazir, Gitmo detainee, cleared for transfer yet refuses to leave -- Washington Times
Two Guantánamo detainees transferred as third refuses resettlement offer -- The Guardian
Freed Gitmo Inmate Refuses to Leave Prison -- Washington Free Beacon

Ten Detainees At Guantanamo Bay Prison Transferred To Oman

USA Today: Transfer of 10 detainees brings Guantanamo Bay population under 100

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon announced Thursday that it had transferred 10 Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo Bay to the Arabian nation of Oman.

The transfers bring the number of detainees remaining at the military prison to 93, as President Obama continues to try to make good on his campaign promise to close the facility — or at least vastly reduce the number of detainees.

"This chipping away at the population ... certainly is what we can do right now," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday after another detainee had been transferred to Saudi Arabia. "And we have made some progress in reducing the population at the prison at Guantanamo Bay. But ultimately, to accomplish the goal of closing it, we're going to need Congress to remove some obstacles that have prevented it thus far."

Read more ....

More News On Ten Detainees At Guantanamo Bay Prison Being Transferred To Oman

U.S. sends 10 Yemeni Guantanamo detainees to Oman -- Reuters
Fewer Than 100 Guantanamo Prisoners Left as 10 Leave to Oman -- AP
10 Yemeni detainees sent from Gitmo to Oman, in 'troubling' transfer -- FOX News
Guantánamo Population Drops to 93 after 10 Prisoners Go to Oman -- New York Times
Guantanamo detainees drop below 100 after new transfers -- Politico
With Latest Transfers, Guantanamo Now Holds Fewer Than 100 Detainees -- NPR

U.S. Transfers Another Guantanamo Inmate (To Kuwait)

Photo: Fayiz al-Kandari

Long War Journal: ‘High risk’ Guantanamo detainee transferred to Kuwait

The Defense Department announced today that Fayez al Kandari, who was detained at Guantanamo since 2002, has been transferred to his home country of Kuwait.

The Pentagon cited a Sept. 8, 2015 decision by the Periodic Review Board (PRB) as justification for Kandari’s transfer. The PRB “determined that continued law of war detention of [Kandari] does not remain necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States.” Therefore, the review board recommended that Kandari be transferred and the Pentagon complied.

More News On The U.S. Transferring Another Guantanamo Inmate

U.S. to transfer al Qaeda suspect from Guantanamo to Kuwait -- Reuters
Alleged al Qaeda recruiter released from Guantanamo to Kuwait -- CBS/AP
Another inmate leaves Guantanamo as population slowly dwindles -- AFP
Pentagon Transfers Last Kuwaiti Detainee Held at Guantanamo -- WSJ
Alleged al Qaeda member released from Gitmo, sent back to Kuwait -- CNN

U.S. To Release 17 Guantanamo Inmates In The Coming Weeks

The sun rises on June 6 over Camp Delta detention compound, which has housed foreign prisoners since 2002, at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba. (Brennan Linsley/AFP/Getty)

New York Times: Transfers Could Reduce Guantánamo Detainees to 90

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration appears to be on the cusp of the largest round of transfers of Guantánamo Bay detainees in a single month since 2007, a move that could reduce the detainee population there to as low as 90 by mid- to late January, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations.

Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter has notified Congress in recent days that he has approved 17 proposed transfers of lower-level detainees, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters that have not yet been made public. Congress has required Mr. Carter to certify that security standards have been met at least 30 days before any transfers.

More News On Reports That The U.S. is Preparing To Release 17 Guantanamo Inmates In The Coming Weeks

Pentagon planning largest Gitmo detainee transfer since 2007 -- Washington Times
U.S. Will Reportedly Transfer 17 Detainees Out of Guantanamo in January -- Slate
Pentagon 'to transfer 17 Guantanamo Bay prisoners' -- BBC
Pentagon Approves 17 Gitmo Detainees for Transfer -- Sputnik

Former Guantanamo Inmate Now Leads Al Qaeda In Yemen

Ibrahim al Qosi, an ex-Guantanamo detainee, now serves as a leader and spokesman for al Qaeda in Yemen.

Long War Journal: Ex-Guantanamo detainee now an al Qaeda leader in Yemen

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a new video featuring a former Guantanamo detainee, Ibrahim Qosi, who is also known as Sheikh Khubayb al Sudani.

In July 2010, Qosi plead guilty to charges of conspiracy and material support for terrorism before a military commission. His plea was part of a deal in which he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors during his remaining time in US custody. Qosi was transferred to his home country of Sudan two years later, in July 2012.

Qosi joined AQAP in 2014 and became one of its leaders. Qosi and other AQAP commanders discussed their time waging jihad at length in the video, entitled “Guardians of Sharia.”

WNU Editor: Another Guantanamo detainee who should never have been released. In past wars and conflicts POWs were never released until the war was over .... Sheikh Khubayb al Sudani certainly is someone who believes that this war is only beginning.

This Former Guantanamo Inmate Now Leads The Fight Against The Taliban And The Islamic State

Hajji Ghalib, the governor of Achin District in the province of Nangarhar in eastern Afghanistan, was once imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Photo Credit Andrew Quilty for The New York Times

New York Times: Once in Guantánamo, Afghan Now Leads War Against Taliban and ISIS

KABUL, Afghanistan — Hajji Ghalib did just what the American military feared he would after his release from the Guantánamo Bay prison camp: He returned to the Afghan battlefield.

But rather than worrying about Mr. Ghalib, the Americans might have considered encouraging him. Lean and weather-beaten, he is now leading the fight against the Taliban and the Islamic State across a stretch of eastern Afghanistan.

His effectiveness has led to appointments as the Afghan government’s senior representative in some of the country’s most war-ravaged districts. Afghan and American officials alike describe him as a fiercely effective fighter against the insurgency, and the American military sometimes supports his men with airstrikes — although Mr. Ghalib complains that there are too few bombers and drones for his taste.

WNU Editor: This is a fascinating story. After being released from Guantanamo prison he just wanted to be left alone .... a common sentiment among people who have experienced warfare for much of their life. But the murder of his family by the Taliban changed that .... and now he is getting his revenge.

Briton Released From Guantanamo And Who Was Compensated £1mn Has Joined The Islamic State

Channel 4 News: Jamal Al-Harith: Guantanamo detainee flees to Syria

A British terror suspect released from Guantanamo Bay after lobbying by the British Government is with the so-called Islamic State in Syria, Channel 4 News can reveal.

Muslim convert Jamal al-Harith was freed from the infamous US detention centre in 2004 after then-Home Secretary David Blunkett campaigned for his release.

But we can reveal, despite his previous detention, he was able to leave the UK 18 months ago and join the militant Islamic State in Syria.

His journey to join Isis can be revealed by Channel 4 News following the escape from ISIS-controlled Syria last month by British mother Shukee Begum and her five children.

More News On Former Guantanamo Detainee Jamal Al-Harith

Former Guantanamo inmate has left the UK to join the Islamic State -- The Telegraph
UK gave freed Guantanamo inmate £1million in compensation... now he’s fled to Syria and joined ISIS -- Daily Mail
Ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee from UK 'joins Islamic State in Syria' -- Independent.ie
British ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee 'joins Islamic State in Syria' -- Express
Isis: Guantanamo Bay inmate who was given £1m compensation from Britain, fled to Syria to join Islamic State -- IBTimes
Briton released from Guantanamo & awarded £1mn believed to have joined ISIS -- RT