Ehsanullah (Guantanamo detainee)
Ehsanullah | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977 Afghanistan |
| Occupation(s) | Former Taliban guard, former Guantanamo detainee |
| Known for | Extrajudicial detention at Guantanamo Bay |
Ehsanullah (born in 1977) is an Afghan national who experienced extrajudicial detention at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention facility located in Cuba. His assigned Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 523. Initially engaged in farming, he was later conscripted to serve as a Taliban guard in the Nahreen region. After approximately three months, the Northern Alliance overtook the site and subsequently transferred him into US custody. On June 12, 2002, he was moved to Guantanamo due to suspicions regarding his awareness of Taliban leadership activities nearby. However, on September 27, 2002, Michael Dunlavey advised his release, determining that he posed no threat and did not possess valuable terrorist intelligence.
McClatchy News Service interview
On June 15, 2008, McClatchy News Service released a series of articles derived from interviews with 66 former detainees of Guantanamo, including Ehsanullah. He admitted to serving as a foot soldier for the Taliban but insisted that his involvement was compulsory. He recounted fleeing his position following the Taliban’s collapse and being apprehended by Northern Alliance forces while attempting to return home. He alleged that prisoners were traded to American forces for bounty payments: "The commander told the Americans that he had arrested high-ranking Taliban and got $5,000 for each of us."
Ehsanullah described receiving very limited training: "There was no training. They said, 'This is the trigger; pull it.'" Due to concerns about local Taliban sympathizers, his interview was conducted by telephone, during which he mentioned that local security authorities were unaware of his presence.
Prior to his transfer to Guantanamo, he was held at both Bagram Theater Internment Facility and Kandahar detention center. He reported instances of physical mistreatment by US personnel in Afghanistan and witnessed an American soldier disrespecting a Koran. Conditions at Guantanamo were comparatively better; he was not subjected to physical abuse and interrogations occurred infrequently. Interrogators informed him they were investigating claims that the Northern Alliance commander had sold him to US forces.
His detention lasted under one year before he was released.
Height and weight records
On March 16, 2007, the Department of Defense published limited data regarding the height and weight of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.
See also
- Ehsanullah, another detainee with a similar name who was released on March 23, 2003.