Combatant Status Review Tribunal

January 20, 2015 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

Ex-Gitmo Detainee Leads Contingent of Islamic State Fighters in Afghanistan

A former Guantanamo detainee, Mullah Raouf Khadim, is reportedly leading a contingent of Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand. Khad...

November 19, 2014 | Thomas Joscelyn

Gitmo ‘Poet’ Now Recruiting for Islamic State

An ex-Guantanamo detainee based in northern Pakistan is leading an effort to recruit jihadists for the Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot that controls large portions of Iraq and Syria....

April 23, 2012 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

2 Uighur Gitmo Detainees Transferred to El Salvador

The Department of Defense announced the transfer of two Uighur detainees from Guantanamo to El Salvador yesterday. The t...

September 12, 2011 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

Ex-Gitmo Detainee Killed in Afghanistan

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) announced today that...

April 19, 2011 |

Supreme Court Shuts Door on Gitmo Detainees’ Appeal

On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal filed by five Uighur detainees held at Guantanamo. A D.C. District Court granted the Uighur detainees their freedom inside the U.S. A D.C....

March 31, 2011 |

Still Looking for Gitmo

If Guantanamo were really one of al Qaeda’s principal recruiting tools, as President Obama and members of his administration have repeatedly claimed, then the facility would probably be ref...

March 17, 2011 | The Long War Journal

Afghan Peace Council Reportedly Seeks Talks with Taliban Commanders Held at Gitmo

In written testimony submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Mar. 15, General David Petraeus briefly outlined Afghanistan's efforts to reconcile some Taliban forces. The...

February 10, 2011 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

Italian judge Orders Former Gitmo Detainee Freed

An Italian judge ordered a former Guantanamo detainee released from jail on Monday. The former detainee, a Tunisian named Adel Ben Mabrouk, had been convicted of terrorism-related charges....

February 6, 2011 | Thomas Joscelyn Long War Journal

Taliban Mourn Death of ‘Eminent Commander’ at Gitmo

 In a piece last week, I noted that a former Taliban commander, Awal Gul, died of an apparent heart attack at Guantanamo on Tuesday, Feb. 1. The Taliban have now released a statement online...

February 4, 2011 | The Long War Journal

Former Taliban Commander Dies at Gitmo

A former Taliban commander died Tuesday evening at Guantanamo after suffering an apparent heart attack or similar ailment. US Southern Command released a statement on Thursday explaining that the...

January 4, 2011 | The Weekly Standard |

Saudis Erroneously Blame Gitmo for Jihadism

On Saudi television last week, a former Guantanamo detainee named Jabir al Fayfi claimed that he and his fellow Saudi detainees were radicalized during their time in American custody. According t...

November 17, 2010 |

Ghailani Verdict A Miscarriage of Justice

A New York jury delivered a stunning verdict Wednesday. Ahmed Ghailani, an al Qaeda terrorist who conspired to blow up American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, was acquitted of more than...

November 5, 2010 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

Algeria Acquits Ex-Gitmo Detainee of Terrorism Charges

Algeria announced on Friday that a former Guantanamo detainee named Sofiane Hadarbache has been acquitted of terrorism charges. Hadarbache was captured by US forces in late 2001 near Kabul, trans...

October 6, 2010 |

Judge Excludes Damning Testimony Against Al Qaeda Terrorist, Ahmed Ghailani

A judge's reason for excluding damning testimony against al Qaeda terrorist Ahmed Ghailani makes no sense. The government’s case against Ahmed Ghailani, the terrorist who part...

September 9, 2010 | The Long War Journal

HIG Facilitator Properly Detained at Gitmo, Judge Finds

On Friday, Sept. 3, DC District Judge John Bates issued an order denying a petition for writ of habeas corpus filed by Guantanamo detainee Shawali Khan. The order was terse, and did not set forth...

September 7, 2010 | The Long War Journal

Yemen Arrests Ex-Gitmo Detainee who Fought in Afghanistan and Kashmir

A former Guantanamo detainee who joined al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) after graduating from a Saudi rehabilitation program has been arrested in Yemen. Fox News reported Tuesday that Ye...

August 27, 2010 |

Fishy Business: Military Commission for Mastermind of USS Cole Attack Delayed, Again

The Obama administration has delayed the trial by military commission of Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, the mastermind of the USS Cole attack, according to the Washington Post. The Defense Department d...

August 23, 2010 | The Long War Journal

Ex-Gitmo Detainee Surrenders in Yemen

Yemeni authorities announced on Saturday that a former Guantanamo detainee who rejoined al Qaeda has turned himself in. Ali Hussein al Taiss was a wanted "al Qaeda element," according to...

August 7, 2010 | The Long War Journal

State Department: Former Gitmo Detainee Led Terror Cell in Jordan

A former Guantanamo detainee named Usama Abu Kabir led a terror cell in Jordan that was broken up in 2009, according to a new report by the US State Department. On Thursday, the State Department...

August 4, 2010 | Thomas Joscelyn Long War Journal

Former Gitmo Detainee Turned Taliban Leader Threatens Afghan Elders

 A former Guantanamo detainee who is currently a senior Taliban leader has threatened to kill tribal elders cooperating with Coalition forces and the Afghan government. According to Newsweek...