Muhammad Rahim al Afghani
Encyclopedia
Muhammad Rahim al Afghani is a citizen of Afghanistan
currently
held in extrajudicial detention
in the United States
's Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba
.
The United States Department of Defense
announced he had been transferred to military custody on 14 March 2008.
According to Agence France-Presse
:
The New York Times reports that he was the first captive to be transferred from CIA custody in close to a year.
He was captured in Lahore
, Pakistan
, in July 2008, and held in CIA custody until his transfer to Guantanamo on March 28, 2008.
According to the official press release announcing his transfer to Guantanamo he had been held in the CIA's network of secret interrogation centers
prior to his transfer to Guantanamo. The Pentagon
classified him as a high value detainee, an appellation he shared with the 14 captives transferred from the CIA on September 6, 2006, and with Abdul Hadi al Iraqi
.
That press release stated:
In late November 2008 the New York Times published a page220px summarizing the official documents from each captive.
The New York Times stated that no further official records of his detention—no Combatant Status Review Tribunal
had been published.
They identified him as identified captive 10030.
They identified him as a "high value detainee".
In 2002 the BBC
reported that an individual named Mohammed Rahim" was one of the Taliban senior leader Mohammed Omar
's drivers.
According to the BBC, in an interview with Reuters
in January 2002, Mohammed Rahim described how the Taliban's senior leader escaped two American missile strikes.
In his interview Mohammed Rahim said that when Mohammed Omar's home in Kandahar
was hit by a missile strike he engaged him to drive his taxi, containing Mohammed Omar, his second wife, and several of his children to Sangisar, an hour away.
Almost immediately after their arrival, and exit from his taxi, it too was struck by a missile. The missile struck the taxi, nothing else in the village was targeted.
Mohammed Rahim said he fled one way, and Mohammed Omar fled another, and that this was his last contact with him.
On August 27, 2009, Pamela Hess and Devlin Barrett, of the Associated Press
, reported that in late 2007 the CIA subjected a captive was chained to the floors and walls of his cell, and subjected to extended sleep deprivation
.
They noted while the captive's name was withheld Al-Afghani was the only captive known to have been in CIA custody at the time of the use of these techniques.
They noted that the Bush Presidency had publicly abandoned the use of these techniques, but an exception was made because government lawyers had given the CIA permission.
The captive had his hands chained above the level of his heart.
He was made to wear diapers, so he would not have to be unbound for bathroom breaks. When observers watching over closed-circuit TV saw him start to fall asleep they were able to wake him by remotely jerking his shackles. When he developed edema
, swelling of the legs, a common consequence of the use of these techniques he was shifted to being bound to a low stool, still with his hands bound above the level of his heart.
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...
currently
held in extrajudicial detention
Extrajudicial detention
Arbitrary or extrajudicial detention is the detention of individuals by a state, without ever laying formal charges against them.Although it has a long history of legitimate use in wartime , detention without charge, sometimes in secret, has been one of the hallmarks of totalitarian states...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
The United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
announced he had been transferred to military custody on 14 March 2008.
According to Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
:
The New York Times reports that he was the first captive to be transferred from CIA custody in close to a year.
He was captured in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, 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...
, in July 2008, and held in CIA custody until his transfer to Guantanamo on March 28, 2008.
According to the official press release announcing his transfer to Guantanamo he had been held in the CIA's network of secret interrogation centers
Black site
In military terminology, a black site is a location at which an unacknowledged black project is conducted. Recently, the term has gained notoriety in describing secret prisons operated by the United States Central Intelligence Agency , generally outside of U.S. territory and legal jurisdiction. It...
prior to his transfer to Guantanamo. The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
classified him as a high value detainee, an appellation he shared with the 14 captives transferred from the CIA on September 6, 2006, and with Abdul Hadi al Iraqi
Abdul Hadi al Iraqi
The Newsweek article claimed that al Iraqi brokered a 2005 reconciliation between Osama bin Laden and Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi. Newsweek asserted that bin Laden had failed to anticipate the strength of the Iraqi's anti-occupation resistance, and that he dispatched al Iraqi to take charge of...
.
That press release stated:
|
In late November 2008 the New York Times published a page220px summarizing the official documents from each captive.
The New York Times stated that no further official records of his detention—no 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...
had been published.
They identified him as identified captive 10030.
They identified him as a "high value detainee".
In 2002 the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reported that an individual named Mohammed Rahim" was one of the Taliban senior leader Mohammed Omar
Mohammed Omar
Mullah Mohammed Omar , often simply called Mullah Omar, is the leader of the Taliban movement that operates in Afghanistan. He was Afghanistan's de facto head of state from 1996 to late 2001, under the official title "Head of the Supreme Council"...
's drivers.
According to the BBC, in an interview with Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
in January 2002, Mohammed Rahim described how the Taliban's senior leader escaped two American missile strikes.
In his interview Mohammed Rahim said that when Mohammed Omar's home 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 hit by a missile strike he engaged him to drive his taxi, containing Mohammed Omar, his second wife, and several of his children to Sangisar, an hour away.
Almost immediately after their arrival, and exit from his taxi, it too was struck by a missile. The missile struck the taxi, nothing else in the village was targeted.
Mohammed Rahim said he fled one way, and Mohammed Omar fled another, and that this was his last contact with him.
Reports al-Afghani was subjected to "extended interrogation techniques"
In August 2009 formerly classified documents about the CIA's use of extended interrogation techniques were made public when the judicial branch upheld Freedom of Information Act requests.On August 27, 2009, Pamela Hess and Devlin Barrett, of the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, reported that in late 2007 the CIA subjected a captive was chained to the floors and walls of his cell, and subjected to extended sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having enough sleep; it can be either chronic or acute. A chronic sleep-restricted state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight loss or weight gain. It adversely affects the brain and cognitive function. Few studies have compared the...
.
They noted while the captive's name was withheld Al-Afghani was the only captive known to have been in CIA custody at the time of the use of these techniques.
They noted that the Bush Presidency had publicly abandoned the use of these techniques, but an exception was made because government lawyers had given the CIA permission.
The captive had his hands chained above the level of his heart.
He was made to wear diapers, so he would not have to be unbound for bathroom breaks. When observers watching over closed-circuit TV saw him start to fall asleep they were able to wake him by remotely jerking his shackles. When he developed edema
Edema
Edema or oedema ; both words from the Greek , oídēma "swelling"), formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin or in one or more cavities of the body that produces swelling...
, swelling of the legs, a common consequence of the use of these techniques he was shifted to being bound to a low stool, still with his hands bound above the level of his heart.