Asadullah Abdul Rahman
Encyclopedia
Asad Ullah is a young Afghani
formally held at Camp Iguana
in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
. Ullah and his friends and supporters claim that he was twelve years old (or younger) when he was arrested by U.S. soldiers
in Afghanistan
. The military, however, believe him to have been around fifteen years old. Asad was arrested in the Musawal compound of the Afghan warlord Sammoud in 2002. The military says that he was being trained as a gunman for an al-Qaeda
-related group. Before he was arrested, he claims he was sold into sexual slavery
to a militia leader.
After his arrest, Ullah was possibly held at the U.S. base in Gardez
, where he alleges that he was beaten. At some point, he was transferred to the air base at Bagram
, and flown to Guantanamo Bay. After pressure from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
, he was released on January 29, 2004, having been held by the U.S. for seventeen months, and returned to Khoja Angur. The Red Crescent state that Asadullah's family were not informed that their son had been arrested until seven months after the event, and then only by a Red Crescent official.
Unusually for released detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Ullah appears to have nothing but praise for the place. He claims to have played sports, learned to play chess and learned Pashto, English, Arabic, mathematics, science, art and Islam while at Guantanamo Bay. Various organisations criticized the detainment of minors like Asadullah. However, Pentagon
spokeswoman Barbara Burfeind responded: "The Taliban leadership directed younger members to counterattack the U.S. forces in the area. The juveniles were removed from the battlefield to prevent further harm to U.S. forces and to themselves".
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...
formally held at Camp Iguana
Camp Iguana
Camp Iguana is a small compound in the detainment camp complex on the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Camp Iguana originally held three child detainees who camp spokesmen then claimed were the only detainees under age 16. It was closed in the winter of 2004 when the three were sent home...
in Guantanamo Bay, 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...
. Ullah and his friends and supporters claim that he was twelve years old (or younger) when he was arrested by U.S. soldiers
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
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...
. The military, however, believe him to have been around fifteen years old. Asad was arrested in the Musawal compound of the Afghan warlord Sammoud in 2002. The military says that he was being trained as a gunman for an al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
-related group. Before he was arrested, he claims he was sold into sexual slavery
Sexual slavery
Sexual slavery is when unwilling people are coerced into slavery for sexual exploitation. The incidence of sexual slavery by country has been studied and tabulated by UNESCO, with the cooperation of various international agencies...
to a militia leader.
After his arrest, Ullah was possibly held at the U.S. base in Gardez
Gardez, Afghanistan
-History:According to the Encyclopaedia Iranica, Gardēz is a city "belonging to a network of old isolated Tājīk settlements in southern Afghanistan that are remnants of a time when Pashto had not yet reached the area."...
, where he alleges that he was beaten. At some point, he was transferred to the air base at Bagram
Bagram
Bagram , founded as Alexandria on the Caucasus and known in medieval times as Kapisa, is a small town and seat in Bagram District in Parwan Province of Afghanistan, about 60 kilometers north of the capital Kabul. It is the site of an ancient city located at the junction of the Ghorband and Panjshir...
, and flown to Guantanamo Bay. After pressure from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
, he was released on January 29, 2004, having been held by the U.S. for seventeen months, and returned to Khoja Angur. The Red Crescent state that Asadullah's family were not informed that their son had been arrested until seven months after the event, and then only by a Red Crescent official.
Unusually for released detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Ullah appears to have nothing but praise for the place. He claims to have played sports, learned to play chess and learned Pashto, English, Arabic, mathematics, science, art and Islam while at Guantanamo Bay. Various organisations criticized the detainment of minors like Asadullah. However, 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...
spokeswoman Barbara Burfeind responded: "The Taliban leadership directed younger members to counterattack the U.S. forces in the area. The juveniles were removed from the battlefield to prevent further harm to U.S. forces and to themselves".
See also
- Juveniles held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp
- Naqib Ullah
- Mohammed Ismail
External links
- UK Guardian:Cuba? It was great, say boys freed from US prison camp
- San Francisco Chronicle article
- Who They Are: News Coverage of the Guantanamo Bay Detainees by Camille Gerwin
- Guantánamo's Children: Military and Diplomatic Testimonies
- New York Times article - 3 Afghan Youths Question U.S. Captivity