KABUL: One of the last Afghan detainees held inside the Guantanamo Bay US detention centre in Cuba has been freed after 15 years following negotiations with Washington, his family and Taliban authorities said Friday.
The secretive prison once housed hundreds of suspected militants captured by US forces during America’s “war on terror”, many held without charge or the legal power to challenge their detention.
US authorities faced accusations of torture and abuse against prisoners at the facility, with some allegedly held in cages and subjected to illegal interrogation techniques.
Most of the inmates have been released over the years, including senior Taliban leaders, but Asadullah Haroon had languished without charge.
“The charges against him were false and the release has proved that he was innocent, but who will return those years of his life?” said his brother Roman Khan from Peshawar in Pakistan, where the family live as refugees.
He said they were informed early Friday of Haroon’s freedom.
“It’s like Eid in our house, like a wedding. These are very emotional moments for us,” Khan told AFP.
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