Afghanistan
Islamic State ‘recruiting Afghan fighters’
Tag Archives: Guantanamo
Al Qaeda
US prepares to ramp up transfers from Guantanamo
4 Gitmo detainees transferred to Afghanistan are veteran insurgents, files allege
On Dec. 20, the Defense Department announced the transfer of four Afghans to their home country. Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) deemed all four to be “high” risks to the US, its interests and allies. All four are veteran insurgents, according to JTF-GTMO.
Islamic State
US backed talks between jihadi clerics and ISIS in effort to save hostage’s life
State Department designates Egyptian jihadist group, ex-Gitmo detainee
The State Department today added Ajnad Misr, an Egyptian jihadist group, and Ibrahim Rubaish, a senior al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) official, to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorists.
Guantanamo
US asks Vatican for help with Guantanamo inmates
Afghanistan
Ex-CIA Directors: Interrogations Saved Lives
Al Qaeda
Senate Panel Faults CIA Over Brutality and Deceit in Interrogations
Al Qaeda
Guantanamo 6 ‘will enjoy complete freedom’ in Uruguay
6 Guantanamo detainees transferred to Uruguay were part of al Qaeda’s network, files allege
Intelligence cited in leaked Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) threat assessments link the six recently transferred Guantanamo detainees to Abu Zubaydah and al Qaeda.
5 transferred Gitmo detainees served al Qaeda, leaked files allege
The Defense Department announced the transfer of five Guantanamo detainees yesterday. According to leaked threat assessments prepared by Joint Task Force Guantanamo, all five served al Qaeda. Four of the five were deemed either “high” or “medium to high” risks.
Georgia
5 Guantánamo Inmates Are Sent to Eastern Europe
Guantanamo
Uruguay more wary of Guantanamo prisoner transfer
Kuwaiti Gitmo detainee should remain in US custody, review board finds
A periodic review board has determined that Fayiz al Kandari, a Kuwaiti held at Guantanamo, should remain in US custody.
Review board recommends transfer of Guantanamo detainee to Kuwait
A periodic review board has recommended that Fouzi Khalid Abdullah Al Awda, a Kuwaiti held at Guantanamo since 2002, be transferred to his home country. Jihadists on Twitter celebrated the ruling before it was released to the public.
Ansar al Sharia
Benghazi attack suspect ‘compliant but not cooperative’ in federal custody
Ex-Guantanamo detainee arrested in Spain tied to infamous al Qaeda cell
Lahcen Ikassrien, an ex-Guantanamo detainee, was arrested earlier this month in Spain. Leaked State Department cables and a threat assessment authored by Joint Task Force Guantanamo link Ikassrien to an al Qaeda cell run by one of Osama bin Laden’s most trusted operatives in pre-9/11 Europe.
Afghanistan
Meet the Sixth Man the Taliban Wanted in the Bergdahl Swap
Afghanistan
Bergdahl Briefing Fails to Allay Senators’ Doubts
Mullah Omar hails release of 5 top Taliban commanders as ‘great victory’
In addition to a statement from Mullah Omar, the Taliban has posted pictures of the Taliban commanders released from Guantanamo. The pictures show the jihadist leaders being greeted by their supporters and families in Qatar.
Taliban says ‘five senior leaders’ have been ‘liberated’ from Guantanamo
The Taliban has released a statement on the prisoner exchange that freed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The Taliban says that its five “prominent” leaders have been freed in exchange for an American soldier, and that it did not participate in direct negotiations with the US to complete the swap.
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl exchanged for top 5 Taliban commanders at Gitmo
The five Taliban commanders exchanged for Sgt. Bergdahl were all deemed “high” risks to the US and its allies by Joint Task Force Guantanamo. All of them were closely allied with al Qaeda prior to their detention. Two of them have been wanted for war crimes by the UN.
Al Qaeda
Under Pressure, Hagel Promises to Act on Guantánamo Transfers
Afghanistan
Abu Hamza trial: American follower tells terror trial about US jihad training camp
Review board recommends indefinite detainee at Guantanamo be transferred
Ali Ahmad Mohamed al Razihi is one of the 48 detainees President Obama’s Guantanamo Review Task Force said should be held in indefinite military detention. But a Periodic Review Board has now recommended that he be transferred to his home country of Yemen.
Al Qaeda
Abu Hamza used ‘cover of religion’ to recruit terrorists, court hears
Jordan rearrests ex-Gitmo detainee once deemed a ‘high’ risk
A former Guantanamo detainee named Osama Abu Kabir has been arrested in Jordan. The charges have not been made public, but his arrest seems to be connected to Jordanian concerns about the jihad in Syria.
Former Guantanamo detainee killed while leading jihadist group in Syria
Ibrahim Bin Shakaran, a Moroccan who spent more than three years at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility before being freed, has been killed while leading Sham al Islam in Latakia. Bin Shakaran had run a recruiting network for Abu Musab al Zarqawi after being released by the US.
Review board rules against Guantanamo detainee
Earlier this month, a review board responsible for evaluating the status of Guantanamo detainees determined that a Yemeni held in Cuba since early 2002 should remain in custody. According to a leaked threat assessment, the detainee was slated to be a hijacker on 9/11 before al Qaeda canceled his part of the operation.
Head of al Qaeda ‘Victory Committee’ in Syria
Sanafi al Nasr heads al Qaeda’s “Victory Committee” and has relocated to Syria. He has become a vocal critic of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) and has been allied with ISIS’ main jihadist rivals, including the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria.