Said Amir Jan
Said Amir Jan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980 Koozbia, Afghanistan |
| Occupation | Detainee |
| Known for | Former Guantanamo detainee; held in extrajudicial detention after transfer to Afghan prison |
Said Amir Jan is an Afghan national currently held in extrajudicial detention following his transfer from the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba to a prison located in Afghanistan.
U.S. intelligence sources approximate Jan’s birth year as 1980, with his place of birth identified as Koozbia, Afghanistan. The Department of Defense assigned him the Internment Serial Number 945.
Combatant Status Review
Jan took part in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.
A Summary of Evidence document dated 22 December 2004 outlined accusations against him, including alleged ties to al Qaida and the Taliban, known connections with an al Qaida facilitator, attempts to travel using a fraudulent visa, training on a Kalashnikov rifle, potential involvement in terrorist activities linked to Usama Bin Laden, and participation in military actions targeting coalition forces. Jan claimed he was detained by the Taliban from 1996 until 2001 and that he fathered children during this timeframe, which conflicted with the reported dates of his imprisonment.
Administrative Review Board hearing
Individuals designated as "enemy combatants" were subject to yearly Administrative Review Board (ARB) hearings to evaluate whether they remained a threat and if release or repatriation was appropriate. These hearings did not reconsider prisoner of war status or the initial enemy combatant determination.
Jan appeared before his ARB hearing. Key reasons supporting continued detention included:
- a. Involvement
- Jan, along with three associates, allegedly planned terrorist attacks near Jalalabad utilizing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) manufactured in Pakistan, intended for deployment via bicycles and motorcycles.
- IEDs were found in restrooms adjacent to Qari Naqibullah’s quarters; Qari Naqibullah led the bombing cell.
- Jan resisted capture and acknowledged spending time at a madrassa in Pakistan.
- He initially asserted that the IEDs had been left by the Taliban years earlier but later stated that Qari Naqibullah brought them.
- The group operated under M. Kabir’s leadership within the Taliban structure.
- b. Training
- Jan received weapons training specifically on the Kalashnikov rifle but denied familiarity with RPGs, grenades, bombs, machine guns, or land mines.
- c. Affiliations
- A four-member cell planned bombings aimed at U.S., United Nations, and non-Afghan targets in Jalalabad.
- Mullah Kabir is identified as a former Taliban Governor and deputy official.
- Naqibullah maintained links to al Qaida operatives connected to Taliban figure Noor Mohammad based in Pakistan.
- Noor Mohammad served as a Taliban district chief involved in arms stockpiling and recruitment efforts opposing the Afghan Transitional Administration.
- d. Additional Information
- Jan acted as a "freedom fighter" under Haji Qadir, the governor of Jalalabad who opposed both the Taliban and al Qaida.
- He was captured by Taliban forces during combat near Jalalabad and subsequently imprisoned at Sarpuza prison for at least five years where he endured torture.
- After coalition forces ousted the Taliban, Jan was released and appointed as an officer responsible for patrolling Jalalabad to counter smuggling activities.
- His arrest occurred at Kandaki Toupchi military base after securing accommodations for his group; other suspects managed to evade capture.
- Mir Agha Jan, one of his brothers, served as a liaison between senior Taliban leader Qari Naqibullah and coalition officials negotiating Jan’s release.
Factors supporting release or transfer included Jan’s firm denial of prior knowledge regarding the IEDs discovered near his quarters, his expressed opposition toward Taliban and al Qaida factions, and favorable views toward U.S. forces who liberated him from Sarpuza prison.
Transfer to Afghan Detention Facility
On September 28, 2007, he was moved to a prison in Afghanistan along with five other individuals who were also repatriated—comprising five Afghans, one detainee from Libya, and one from Yemen.
According to the Center for Constitutional Rights, every Afghan returned since April 2007 has been housed in facilities constructed and overseen by the U.S. within the Pul-e-Charkhi prison complex located near Kabul.