Mahmud Sadik
Mahmud Sadik | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1952 Afghanistan |
| Occupation(s) | Former detainee, orphanage director |
| Known for | Detained at Guantanamo Bay detention center without formal charges |
Mahmud Sadik (born in 1952) is an Afghan national who was detained without formal charges at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba. He was assigned the Guantanamo Internment Serial Number 512.
McClatchy News Service interview
On June 15, 2008, the McClatchy News Service released a series of reports featuring interviews with 66 former detainees from Guantanamo, among them Mohammed Saduq.[1]
Saduq stated that his apprehension occurred at his residence in Chaman, rather than during combat. Holding the position of director at the Tahia Maskan orphanage—a civil role designated by the Taliban—his detention was not unexpected.[1] The orphanage was recognized for its malnourished and frequently mistreated children, indicative of the severe conditions under Taliban rule, though it did not represent a major political office.
Shir Mohammed, who served as the inaugural governor of Helmand Province under Hamid Karzai, explained that Saduq was neither a military figure nor a government minister but was occasionally consulted by the Taliban for his political perspectives.[1]
According to Saduq, he endured physical abuse by guards at both the Kandahar detention facility and Bagram Theater internment facility, although interrogators did not inflict such treatment. He described the detention centers as rudimentary.[1] His interrogations mainly consisted of short sessions with Mullah Mohammed Omar, whom he confirmed having met.[1]
The McClatchy correspondent observed that Saduq expressed hope for the Taliban's reinstatement in Afghanistan.[1]
During the period of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Saduq acted as a commander over Abdul Salam Zaeef, who later became the Taliban’s ambassador to Pakistan.[2] When encountering Zaeef again at Guantanamo, Saduq remarked on his weakened condition and suffering after shifting from diplomatic duties to detainee status: