More than 200 released Guantanamo prisoners have committed acts of terrorism and killed Americans since their release and 151 of them are still on the run
- Declassified report claims 229 former Gitmo inmates reengaged with terrorism
- Office of National Intelligence report also showed 151 are still at large
- President Biden has reversed Trump’s executive order to keep Guantanamo open
- Gholam Ruhani was released in 2007 and was pictured in Afghan presidential palace during Taliban takeover
- Khairullah Khairkhwa was released in 2014 and masterminded Taliban’s takeover of KabulÂ
More than 200 former Guantanamo Bay inmates who were released have returned to terrorism following their release – with 151 still at large, according to newly declassified documents.
The declassified Office of National Intelligence report, which is dated December 18, 2020, highlights that 229 former Guantanamo prisoners have reengaged in acts of terrorism and killing Americans since their release.
Data included in the report shows that 125 former prisoners are confirmed to have reengaged in acts of terrorism since their release, while an additional 104 are currently suspected of reengaging.
Former President Trump signed an executive order while still in office to keep Guantanamo Bay open.
After assuming office though, President Biden has since reversed Trump’s order, with the aim of permanently closing the Cuba-based facility.
An assessment within the report said: ‘Based on trends identified during the past 17 years, we assess that some detainees currently at GTMO will seek to reengage in terrorist or insurgent activities after they are transferred.
‘Transfers to countries with ongoing conflicts and internal instability as well as recruitment by insurgent and terrorist organizations could pose an increased risk of reengagement.
‘While enforcement of transfer conditions probably has deterred many former detainees from reengagement, some detainees determined to reengage have and will do so regardless of any transfer conditions, albeit at a lower rate than if they were transferred without conditions.’
Not all of the former inmates believed to have reengaged in terrorism are still at large though, 41 are believed to have died, while another 37 are now in foreign custody.
Among the reengaged former Guantanamo inmates is Abdullah Gulam Rasoul, who became the Taliban’s operations commander in southern Afghanistan after his release in 2007.
The blame for a rise in the number of roadside attacks against American troops in Afghanistan has been placed on him.
Gholam Ruhani is another figure who has returned to terrorism since his release.
The bearded fanatic was among a group of gun-toting fighters who staged a celebratory press conference Sunday just hours after President Ashraf Ghani fled his country amid chaotic scenes.
Experts identified him as a former Gitmo detainee who was accused by US officials of being a longtime security agent for the Taliban’s feared Ministry of Intelligence with close family ties to its senior figures.
Ruhani revealed to Al Jazeera on Sunday that he was incarcerated for seven years at the Cuban-based military lockup which was established nearly two decades ago to cage the world’s most dangerous terrorists.
State Department documents seen by DailyMail.com confirm that Ruhani – detainee number 3 – was one of the very first prisoners at Guantanamo Bay but record that he spent five years there, from 2002 to 2007.
The files also reveal that Ruhani secured his eventual freedom by telling an administrative review board that he was a ‘simple shopkeeper’ who ‘helped Americans’.