The United States has released Bashar Noorzai, a close aide to the Taliban deceased supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, from its Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba almost 20 days ago and he is currently living in Dubai, a relative said Tuesday.
Mohammad Nadir Noorzai, a member of the Kandahar provincial council and relative of the former Gitmo detainee, told Pajhwok Afghan News that Bashar Noorzai had been freed 20 days back and was currently living in Dubai.
He said Bashar Noorzai was released after Taliban representatives in Qatar asked the US to do so.
He said Bashar Noorzai, who is also a national trader, would travel aboard on behalf of Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders.
In April 2005, US authorities in New York City arrested Noorzai. He was charged with trying to smuggle more than US $50 million worth of heroin into the United States. He is one of ten people and organizations on a US list of most-wanted drug traffickers. According to information published in Wikipedia, Noorzai was in Quetta when the September 11 attacks occurred, and soon afterwards returned to Afghanistan. In November 2001, he met with men he described as American military officials at Spinboldak, near the Afghan-Pakistani border. Small teams of US Special Forces and intelligence officers were in Afghanistan at the time, seeking the support of tribal leaders. According to his lawyer, Noorzai was taken to Kandahar, where he was detained and questioned for six days by the Americans about Taliban officials and operations. He agreed to work with them and was freed, and in late January 2002 he handed over 15 truckloads of weapons, including about 400 anti-aircraft missiles, that had been hidden by the Taliban in his tribe’s territory.
