KABUL: Two Afghan prisoners, who had been held in US custody for over 14 years at the Guantanamo Bay detention center, have been released from house arrest, according to a Taliban spokesman reported by AP news agency on Sunday.
Abdul Zahir Saber and Abdul Karim were released as a result of efforts made by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, stated Taliban interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani.
Senior Taliban officials shared photographs of Saber and Karim on social media, congratulating them on their release. An official welcome ceremony is being organized in Kabul for their return on Monday, Qani added.
Two Afghans Released from Guantanamo Bay
Both men were held in Guantanamo Bay until 2017, when they were transferred to Oman, where they spent the next seven years under house arrest.
The Guantanamo Bay detention center was opened by the United States in January 2002 under President George W. Bush, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan.
Saber, originally from Logar province, was arrested by American forces in May 2002 and transferred to Guantanamo after spending four months in Bagram prison. Taliban spokesman Qani expressed hope that after years of imprisonment and restrictions, Saber would be able to return to his homeland.
Karim, a resident of Tani district in Khost province, was arrested in August 2002. He was moved to Guantanamo in early 2003 and later transferred to Oman in 2017.
