Muhammad Rahim al Afghani

Who is Muhammad Rahim al Afghani?

Muhammad Rahim al Afghani was born in eastern Afghanistan. The well-educated, multilingual Muhammad Rahim worked for an Afghan government committee that worked to eliminate opium poppies from the nation. Unfortunately, he was eventually forced to leave his job by the Taliban. In 1979, Rahim fled Afghanistan with is brother over the border of Pakistan. Their departure was triggered by the Soviet Union invasion into Afghanistan.

In 2007 The Nation reported that Mohammed Rahim and Sheikh Ilyas Khel had been apprehended by Pakistani security officials. The Nation described him as "Osama bin Laden’s special aide", and asserted he had negotiated with Hazrat Ali in early 2002. While in Pakistan, Muhammad Rahim was captured and turned over to the CIA for interrogations regarding Rahim's interactions with the Taliban. In CIA custody, Rahim was subjected to long periods of sleep deprivation. After several months of CIA interrogations, however, Rahim, in March 2008, was sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where he is held in extrajudicial detention. Described as a "tough, seasoned jihadist" by the head of the CIA, Rahim was accused of helping Osama bin Laden escape capture as well as working as bin Laden's translator and assistant. Rahim is the last prisoner to have been sent to Guantanamo. Despite his five years in Guantanamo, no charges have been made against Muhammad Rahim. The US military will not divulge whether Rahim will ever be charged and tried in a military commission. Rahim is currently not listed as a detainee that could be cleared for release from Guantanamo. He is also not a possible candidate for an exchange peace deal. The United States Department of Defense announced he had been transferred to military custody on 14 March 2008.