Abdul Salam Zaeef
Encyclopedia
Mullah
Abdul Salam Zaeef (born 1968 in Kandahar
) was the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan
before the US invasion of Afghanistan
.
He was detained in Pakistan in the fall of 2001 as an and held until 2005 in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
. The United Nations
removed Zaeef from its list of terrorists in July 2010.
Zaeef is the founder and head of Afghan Foundation.
The Pajhwok Afghan News has reported that Zaeef has been freed from Guantanamo Bay.
An article in the 18 September 2005 Daily Times Zaeef is quoted as saying that his release was "due to the effort of some friends".
He did not attribute his release to his Combatant Status Review Tribunal
or his 2005 Administrative Review Board
hearing. He described the actions of these two bodies as illegal.
s" and subjected to sleep deprivation and extremes of temperature while held in the USA's Bagram Theater Detention Facility.
Zaeef stirred controversy by calling for a unity-government in Afghanistan
.
On Friday 6 June 2008 The Guardian
published excerpts from an interview with Zaeef.
It reported he claimed negotiations with the Taliban was the key to peace.
And it reported he argued that the presence of foreign troops eroded the authority of the
central government:
on 12 April 2007, reported that Zaeef had moved into a "...handsome guest house, located in the dusty modern neighborhood Khosh Hal Khan."
The Der Spiegel article goes on to state that the new home Karzai's government has provided Zaeef is around the corner from one occupied by former Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil
. Der Spiegel described Zaeef's home as being guarded, inside and out, by a heavily armed security detail. Der Spiefel described both Zaeef and Muttawakil as regarded as among the more moderate former members of the Taliban.
Zaeff told the Chicago Tribune
that Afghan security officials would not allow him to attend the mosque near his Kabul home.
The McClatchy reports states that guards told him he was the "King of the prison".
The McClatchy reports states that he took a lead role in the Guantanamo hunger strikes.
The McClatchy reports states that guards in the Kandahar detention facility made him pointlessly move human excrement back and forth.
to unofficially meet with other leading Afghan figures, from the Karzai government, the Taliban, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
's Hezb-e-Islami
and other former members of the Taliban.
Zaeef denied this meeting should be characterized as "peace talks". He stated that none of the individuals at this meeting had been authorized to conduct negotiations. Zaeef denied anyone discussed Afghanistan at this meeting.
According to The Age
other figures who attended the meeting included former Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmad Mutawakil and former Supreme Court Chief Justice Fazel Hadi Shinwari.
In October 2008, Abdul Salam Zaeef edited in Paris with the French journalist Jean-Michel Caradec'h
, a recent book: "Prisonnier à Guantanamo". EGDV/Documents. 2008.
In January 2010, Abdul Salam Zaeef published a book: "My Life With the Taliban". Hurst Publishers and Columbia University Press. 2010. The book has been reviewed positively as offering a powerful look into what "drives" the Taliban.
Mullah
Mullah is generally used to refer to a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word مَوْلَى mawlā , meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian"...
Abdul Salam Zaeef (born 1968 in Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
) was the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
before the US invasion of Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
.
He was detained in Pakistan in the fall of 2001 as an and held until 2005 in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
. The United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
removed Zaeef from its list of terrorists in July 2010.
Zaeef is the founder and head of Afghan Foundation.
Capture and detention
Some time after the U.S. invasion, Zaeef was forced to end his news conferences, seized by Pakistani authorities, and handed over to American operatives.The Pajhwok Afghan News has reported that Zaeef has been freed from Guantanamo Bay.
Repatriation
Zaeef was released from Guantanamo in the summer of 2005.An article in the 18 September 2005 Daily Times Zaeef is quoted as saying that his release was "due to the effort of some friends".
He did not attribute his release to his Combatant Status Review Tribunal
Combatant Status Review Tribunal
The Combatant Status Review Tribunals were a set of tribunals for confirming whether detainees held by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp had been correctly designated as "enemy combatants". The CSRTs were established July 7, 2004 by order of U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense...
or his 2005 Administrative Review Board
Administrative Review Board
The Administrative Review Board is a United States military body that conducts an annual review of the suspects held by the United States in Camp Delta in the United States Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba....
hearing. He described the actions of these two bodies as illegal.
Abuse claims
Zaeef claims he was chained in illegal "stress positionStress Position
"Stress Position" is a fourth season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent. It reintroduces Detective Mike Logan back into the Law & Order franchise.-Plot summary:...
s" and subjected to sleep deprivation and extremes of temperature while held in the USA's Bagram Theater Detention Facility.
Call for a unity government
On 12 April 2007Zaeef stirred controversy by calling for a unity-government in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
On Friday 6 June 2008 The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
published excerpts from an interview with Zaeef.
It reported he claimed negotiations with the Taliban was the key to peace.
And it reported he argued that the presence of foreign troops eroded the authority of the
central government:
Move to Kabul
An article in Der SpiegelDer Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
on 12 April 2007, reported that Zaeef had moved into a "...handsome guest house, located in the dusty modern neighborhood Khosh Hal Khan."
The Der Spiegel article goes on to state that the new home Karzai's government has provided Zaeef is around the corner from one occupied by former Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil
Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil
Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil was the last Foreign Minister in the Taliban government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.Prior to this he served as spokesman and secretary to Mullah Mohammed Omar, leader of the Taliban. After the Northern Alliance accompanied by U.S...
. Der Spiegel described Zaeef's home as being guarded, inside and out, by a heavily armed security detail. Der Spiefel described both Zaeef and Muttawakil as regarded as among the more moderate former members of the Taliban.
Zaeff told the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
that Afghan security officials would not allow him to attend the mosque near his Kabul home.
|
McClatchy interview
On 15 June 2008 the McClatchy News Service published articles based on interviews with 66 former Guantanamo captives. McClatchy reporters interviewed Abdul Salam Zaeef.The McClatchy reports states that guards told him he was the "King of the prison".
The McClatchy reports states that he took a lead role in the Guantanamo hunger strikes.
The McClatchy reports states that guards in the Kandahar detention facility made him pointlessly move human excrement back and forth.
Saudi peace talks
Zaeef acknowledged being invited by Saudi King AbdullahAbdullah of Saudi Arabia
Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is the King of Saudi Arabia. He succeeded to the throne on 1 August 2005 upon the death of his half-brother, King Fahd. When Crown Prince, he governed Saudi Arabia as regent from 1998 to 2005...
to unofficially meet with other leading Afghan figures, from the Karzai government, the Taliban, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is an Afghan Mujahideen leader who is the founder and leader of the Hezb-e Islami political party and paramilitary group. Hekmatyar was a rebel military commander during the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan and was one of the key figures in the civil war that followed the...
's Hezb-e-Islami
Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin
The Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin is an Afghan islamist political party.The original Hezb-e-Islami was founded in 1977 by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar who is now the head of HIG. The other faction is headed by Mulavi Younas Khalis who split with Hekmatyar and established his own Hezbi Islami in 1979...
and other former members of the Taliban.
Zaeef denied this meeting should be characterized as "peace talks". He stated that none of the individuals at this meeting had been authorized to conduct negotiations. Zaeef denied anyone discussed Afghanistan at this meeting.
According to The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
other figures who attended the meeting included former Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmad Mutawakil and former Supreme Court Chief Justice Fazel Hadi Shinwari.
Publications
Zaeef released a book in the Pashto language, "A Picture of Guantanamo," detailing his claims of mistreatment at Guantanamo.In October 2008, Abdul Salam Zaeef edited in Paris with the French journalist Jean-Michel Caradec'h
Jean-Michel Caradec'h
Jean-Michel Caradec'h is a French journalist and writer. He is the author of several books in association with personalities of show business, sports, and civil life...
, a recent book: "Prisonnier à Guantanamo". EGDV/Documents. 2008.
In January 2010, Abdul Salam Zaeef published a book: "My Life With the Taliban". Hurst Publishers and Columbia University Press. 2010. The book has been reviewed positively as offering a powerful look into what "drives" the Taliban.
External links
- Torture and Abuse on the USS Bataan and in Bagram and Kandahar: An Excerpt from “My Life with the Taliban” by Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef Andy Worthington, 12 December 2010 mirror mirror
- My Life With the Taliban, English translation of memoirs, published by Hurst & Columbia University Press