Terror Suspect Transferred To Guantanamo -- 2007-06-22

The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of a dangerous terror suspect to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Haroon al-Afghani, who was captured as a result of our ongoing efforts in the Global War on Terror, is known to be associated with high-level militants in Afghanistan, and has admitted to serving as a courier for al-Qaeda Senior Leadership (AQSL). There is significant information available that Haroon al-Afghani is a senior commander of Hezb-e-Islami/Gulbuddin (HIG), a declared hostile terrorist group associated with AQ in Afghanistan and commanded multiple HIG terrorist cells that conducted improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in Nangarhar Province. He is assessed to have had regular contact with senior AQ and HIG leadership. The capture of Haroon al-Afghani exemplifies the genuine threat that the United States and other countries face throughout the world in the war on terror. Due to the continuing threat this terrorist represents and his high placement in the Hezb-e-Islami/Gulbuddin, he has been transferred to the DOD Detention Facility at Guantanamo Bay. The detainees being held at Guantanamo have provided information essential to our ability to better understand how Al Qaeda operates and thus to prevent future attacks. As with all detainees in Guantanamo, Haroon al-Afghani will undergo a Combatant Status Review Tribunal, where he will be given the opportunity to review an unclassified summary of the evidence against him and contest his enemy combatant status. The International Committee of the Red Cross will be granted access to this detainee. With today’s transfer there are approximately 375 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.