An Afghan village elder today describedhow he was detained by coalition forces and flown to a US militarybase in Cuba on suspicion of being a Taliban or al-Qaeda fighter ashe visited his local doctor.
Haji Faiz Mohammad, who claims to be 105 years old, was one of agroup of three Afghans handed over to local authorities on Sunday afterbeing flown back home from the naval base on Guantanamo Bay after USauthorities deemed them innocent of links to terrorist groups.
A United Nations human rights expert is now calling for aninquiry into their treatment after their release Tuesday from amilitary hospital in Kabul.
"Imprisoning me was unjust and cruel, I didn't do anythingwrong," said Haji Faiz Mohammad, who was arrested in the village ofDehrawad in Uruzgan province, some 400 kilometers southwest ofKabul.
His fellow detainee, Jon Mohammad, who was taken prisoner duringa battle in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, said he had been forcedto join the Taliban before the militia's ouster under a US-ledbombing campaign late last year.
"I didn't commit a single crime. The Taliban forced me to jointheir ranks. I was never truly a Taliban fighter," the 34-year-oldsaid from his hospital bed.
"In each village a number of people had to join, so I went alongwith them then surrendered. They (coalition forces) took me toKandahar (in southern Afghanistan), questioned me, put somethingover my eyes and then took me to Guantanamo Bay."
Mohammad said he had been treated well during his time inCuba.
Washington regards about 600 other captives from around 40countries who are currently held in Guantanamo as unlawfulcombatants who can be held without trial for the duration of itsself-declared war on terrorism.
The UN's special rapporteur on human rights for AfghanistanKamal Hossain, currently on a brief tour of the country, said thetreatment of the prisoners at the hands of the US military should beinvestigated.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy to Afghanistan who isalso visiting the country, has confirmed that those released hadbeen cleared of any links with al-Qaeda and would receive "someassistance".
Mohammad said he had received 100 dollars from the US military,describing the sum as "an insult".
AFP