He was one of the last Afghans detained in the US military prison at Guantanamo.

Asadullah Haroon was released after spending 15 years there, following negotiations between Kabul and Washington, the Afghan government announced on Friday.

Hundreds of prisoners, including some Taliban currently holding cabinet posts, have been released from Guantanamo over the years.

But Asadullah Haroon had remained locked up there until then, without having been charged with any crime.

An exchange with the Taliban

His release came after a "direct and positive" exchange between the Taliban authorities and Washington, Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

Asadullah Haroon is now in Qatar, his brother Roman Khan said from Peshawar, in western Pakistan, on the border with Afghanistan, where his family members live with refugee status.

“It's like (the Muslim holiday of) Eid in our house, like a wedding.

These are emotional times for us,” said Roman Khan.

Imprisoned since 2017

Asadullah Haroon, now believed to be in his 40s, was working in the sale of honey, traveling from Peshawar to Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan when he was arrested.

He was imprisoned in June 2007 in Guantanamo, accused by the Americans of being a commander of the Islamist movement Hezb-i-Islami and a messenger for Al-Qaeda.

Haroon's family recognizes his membership in Hezb-i-Islami, but rejects any link with Al-Qaeda.

The Guantanamo Review Board had rejected his request for release in 2020, before accepting it last October.

The rejection of a request for release

She justified this decision by his "non-leadership role in an extremist organization, his lack of a clear ideological basis for his past actions", as well as "the regrets he expressed".

There is only one Afghan detainee left in Guantanamo.

Muhammad Rahim arrived there in March 2008. He was accused by the CIA of being a close associate of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The infamous detention center, opened on the island of Cuba after the attacks of September 11, 2001 as part of the “war on terrorism”, housed up to 780 detainees.

The vast majority have since been released, some after more than 10 years in detention without charge.

But it still housed 37 in April, according to the Pentagon.

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