The second-to-last Afghan being held by the United States at the special detainment center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was released by a court order Friday and flew to Qatar, the Associated Press reports.
Captured in 2007, Asadullah Haroon Gul was 27 or 28 years old when he was captured in 2007 by US forces in Afghanistan, whose intelligence reported that Haroon was an al Qaeda courier and commanded three terrorist cels. A 2016 review of his case found little to connect him to the terrorist group, and in 2021, a court declared that there was no evidence he was connected to al Qaeda.
With the help of human rights groups from around the globe, Qatar intervened on Haroon’s behalf to secure his release after a federal district court ruled that he was being held without charges unconstitutionally. He was flown to Qatar where he was greeted by the nation’s leaders.
But of course, at least one Republican voiced his disapproval of the proper workings of the courts. Republican Florida Man Senator Marco Rubio claimed that Haroon was still a threat to attack Americans on an imaginary battlefield in Afghanistan.
“The terrorist organization that now controls Afghanistan cannot and will not ensure Gul, or any future detainees who are released, will not return to the battlefield and potentially kill Americans or other innocent civilians,” Rubio said.
Only one Afghan remains imprisoned at Guantanamo: Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani. Thirty-six men from various countries remain imprisoned, most without being charged with any crime.