Jalil

Mullah Jalil is a citizen of Afghanistan, held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, in Cuba. [http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/detainee_list.pdf list of prisoners (.pdf)] , "US Department of Defense", April 20 2006] His detainee ID number is 1117.American intelligence analysts estimate that Jalil was born in 1970, in
Bayanzai, Gereshk District, Afghanistan.

Combatant Status Review Tribunal

Initially the Bush administration asserted that they could withhold all the protections of the Geneva Conventions to captives from the war on terror. This policy was challenged before the Judicial branch. Critics argued that the USA could not evade its obligation to conduct a competent tribunals to determine whether captives are, or are not, entitled to the protections of prisoner of war status.

Subsequently the Department of Defense instituted the Combatant Status Review Tribunals. The Tribunals, however, were not authorized to determine whether the captives were "lawful combatants" -- rather they were merely empowered to make a recommendation as to whether the captive had previously been correctly determined to match the Bush administration's definition of an enemy combatant.

Allegations

A memorandum summarizing the evidence against Jalil prepared for his Combatan Status Reiew Tribunal, was among those released in March 2005. [http://www.dod.mil/pub/foi/detainees/csrt_Mar05.pdf#76 Summary of Evidence memo (.pdf)] prepared for Jalil's "Combatant Status Review Tribunal" - October 4 2004 - page 76 ] The allegations Jalil faced during his Tribunal were::""'a. The detainee is associated with the Taliban:#"The detainee admitted serving in the Taliban.:#"The detainee served as the Taliban commander of the Baghram Airport [Bagrhram Airport was redacted in Jalil's Summary of Evidence memo, released in March 2005, but was unredacted in his transcript, released in March 2006.] sic.

Testimony

Jalil chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/specials/guantanamo/MullahJalil.pdf#1 Summarized transcripts (.pdf)] , from Mullah Jalil's "Combatant Status Review Tribunal" - [http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt/Set_28_1948-2000.pdf#1 mirror - pages 1-3] ]

Jalil acknowledged that he had served in the Taliban two terms, totalling about six months, but said he had been drafted. Both periods, he said, had predated the American invasion by three years. Jalil denied being a the commander of the Bagram Airport. He said he had never been to Bagram before his capture. He said he believed he was the victim of a false denunciation from someone with whom he had been having a local feud.

Jalil said that the incarceration, and worrying about his young children and his elderly father was making him lose his mind.

Determined not to have been an Enemy Combatant

The Washington Post reports that Jalil was one of 38 detainees who was determined not to have been an enemy combatant during his Combatant Status Review Tribunal. [http://projects.washingtonpost.com/guantanamo/nlec/ Guantanamo Bay Detainees Classifed as "No Longer Enemy Combatants"] , "Washington Post"] They report that Jalil has been released.The Department of Defense refers to these men as No Longer Enemy Combatants.

References