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Gouled Hassan Dourad

From Alfawiki
Guled Hassan Duran
Born (1974-04-01) April 1, 1974 (age 52)
Mogadishu, Somalia
OccupationDetainee
Known forDetained at Guantanamo Bay detention camp without formal charges

Guled Hassan Duran (; born April 1, 1974) is a Somali national currently held without formal charges at the United States' detention facility located in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.[1]

He was transferred to Guantanamo on September 6, 2006, and has remained in custody there since that date.[1][2][3][4]

Early life

Duran’s birthplace is Mogadishu, Somalia. Following the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991, his parents sent him to Germany, where he resided in a refugee camp. In 1993, he was granted asylum in Sweden. The following year, he attempted to enter the United States but was denied entry in Iceland due to possession of a counterfeit passport.

Alleged ties to terrorism

According to U.S. counter-terrorism authorities, during his time in Sweden, Duran frequented a Somali mosque whose imam facilitated training for him and future AIAI bombmaker Qasim Mohamed in Afghanistan before their involvement in the Somali conflict. He underwent weapons and explosives instruction at the Khalden camp between January and October 1996 and received specialized assassination training in Khost. By the end of 1996, he had returned to Somalia.

Authorities contend that Duran became a member of AIAI in 1997, actively supporting Somalia’s military engagement against Ethiopia over the Ogaden territory. Between 1997 and 2002, he intermittently participated in combat operations and provided training to AIAI militants. His link to al-Qaeda reportedly developed through AIAI’s cooperation with al-Qaeda operatives operating within Somalia. Early in 2003, he was introduced to Abu Talha al-Sudani, an East African al-Qaeda figure who was concealed in Mogadishu following the Mombasa attacks. Duran’s military training in Afghanistan, fluency in Arabic, English, Swedish, and Somali, along with his educational background, rendered him a significant asset.

Per the United States Director of National Intelligence, Duran led AIAI’s Mogadishu facilitation network that supported al-Qaeda activities. He operated within an elite cadre under Abu Talha al-Sudani’s command tasked with identifying safehouses, managing financial transfers, and acquiring weapons and explosives. He possessed knowledge of planned attacks such as downing an Ethiopian aircraft over Somalia in 2003 and abducting Western NGO personnel in Hargeysa during 2002 as a means to finance AIAI operations.

Following Duran’s detention, AIAI operatives unsuccessfully attempted to kidnap a German humanitarian worker and fatally shot a Kenyan contractor in Hargeysa on March 19, 2004.

Mother's appeal

On November 23, 2009, Africa News aired a segment profiling Duran’s mother, Adar Mohammed Yusuf, who asserted his innocence. She claimed that her son was seized by a Somali warlord in 2004 and questioned why no formal legal proceedings had been initiated against him, urging both Somali authorities and human rights organizations to investigate his circumstances.

The report by Africa News indicated that Duran was apprehended by the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, an entity linked with the CIA, alongside numerous others. Adar also revealed that Duran is a father of four children.

Joint Review Task Force

On January 21, 2009, President Barack Obama signed executive orders concerning detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. This action introduced a revamped review procedure that included representatives from six different government departments, replacing the previous system managed solely by the Department of Defense's OARDEC.

In April 2013, the Joint Review Task Force published a report identifying a group of detainees considered too risky to release despite insufficient evidence to formally charge them. Among 71 individuals categorized as too innocent for prosecution yet too dangerous for transfer was Guled Hassan Duran. President Obama declared that detainees in this classification would be subject to assessments by Periodic Review Boards.

Periodic Review Board

The inaugural review session took place on November 20, 2013. By April 2016, a total of 29 detainees had been evaluated, with Guled Hassan Duran not included among them. Duran eventually received approval for transfer on November 10, 2021.

Potential relocation to the United States

After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, military officials imposed restrictions limiting attorneys' access to detainees, citing public health concerns. Additionally, communication through video conferencing and telephone was suspended. In response, US District Court Judge Reggie Walton mandated that authorities devise a method within thirty days to restore lawyer-client communication.

According to Department of Justice attorney Terry Henry, legal representatives were still permitted to visit Guantanamo; however, Wells Dixon, representing Duran, emphasized the impracticality of such visits due to compulsory two-week quarantine periods upon arrival and return.

See also

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named dni
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NYTimesGuantanamoDocketIsn10023
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named OfficialGuantanamoWeights
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named CshraHeightAndWeightTable
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