KABUL, October 12, 2006 -- Sixteen Afghans and an Iranian arrived in Kabul today after their release from years of U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as "enemy combatants."
Sebghatullah Mujadidi, the head of the Afghan Reconciliation Commission who negotiated their release and head of the upper house of the legislature before his surprise resignation today, said "most" of the Afghans are innocent.
Mujadidi said they were turned over to the U.S. military by other Afghans who wrongly accused them of being Taliban fighters because of personal disputes.
Many were held at Guantanamo Bay for up to four years without being formally charged or put on trial. The Iranian detainee was handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross after arriving in Kabul.
(AP, Reuters, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan)
Mujadidi said they were turned over to the U.S. military by other Afghans who wrongly accused them of being Taliban fighters because of personal disputes.
Many were held at Guantanamo Bay for up to four years without being formally charged or put on trial. The Iranian detainee was handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross after arriving in Kabul.
(AP, Reuters, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan)