Former Gitmo Prisoner Leads Taliban in Helmand Province
Fox news reports:
A former Guantanamo Bay inmate is leading the fight against U.S. Marines in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, a senior U.S. defense official confirmed to FOX News on Tuesday.
Mullah Zakir, also known as Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul, surrendered in Mazar-e-Sharif in Northern Afghanistan in 2001, and was transferred to Gitmo in 2006. He was released in late 2007 to Afghan custody.
Now as the United States is pushing ahead with the massive Operation Khanjar in the southern province of Afghanistan, Zakir is coordinating the Taliban fighters. Some 4,000 U.S. Marines and hundreds of Afghan forces have faced some resistance as they sweep across the province, reclaiming control of districts where Zakir and his comrades were running a shadow government.
Zakir was released from Afghan custody around 2008, according to the New York Post. He re-established connections with high-level Taliban leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan after his second release.
Many Americans already believe it not to be wise to close Gitmo down, this news will undoubtedly confirm their fears that closure is not merely unwise, but plain stupid.
Perhaps. On the other hand, Zakir was released when George W. Bush was still in office. We all know Bush vehemently opposed closing Gitmo. Zalor was let go nonetheless and we can now all see the result of this decision.
The problem isn’t Gimo, as such. It’s how to deal with terrorists. Zakir should never have been released, obviously, but he should also not be held indefinitely, without a trial. Considering his high rank, you’d think it to be relatively easy for the US to find enough evidence to get this man convicted on terrorism related charges.
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Well if anything it proves that the people in Gitmo are truly dangerous people. In WW2 if you released a Soldier he would most likely end up back on the front lines. This is really not surprising.
Whats surprising is the far left/antiwar crowd want to pretend that the people in Gitmo are some kind of innocent victims of a vast right wing conspiracy who were randomly rounded up and kept in indefinite suspension for the pure pleasure that the USA garnered from their unlawful incarceration.