Hassan Maksum

Several of the Uyghur captives in Guantanamo acknowledged having met or having seen, and individual named Hassan Maksum at a camp in eastern Afghanistan in mid to late 2001.

The purpose of the camp outside of Jalalabad, Afghanistan, where the Uighurs lived for months prior to the United States invasion of Afghanistan, is disputed. Many of the Uyghur captives in Guantanamo claim that the camp was simply a place for Uyghurs fleeing Chinese oppression gathered. Seema Saifee, a lawyer for four of the Uyghurs called the camp an "expatriate village in the mountains."[1] The United States Intelligence Community considers the camp to be a terrorist training facility hosted by the Taliban and funded by Al Qaida. The camp was located in Nangarhar Province, a majority Pashtun area known for its support of the Taliban, and was surrounded by Al Qaida training camps such as the Derunta Camp.

Contents

Abdullah Abdulqadirakhum

Uyghur captive Abdullah Abdulqadirakhum identified an individual named Hassan Maksum as the man who provided him with training on the AK-47.[2]

American intelligence analysts identified the camp the Uyghurs were constructing as a training camp, and alleged that the Taliban and al Qaeda were sponsoring the Uyghur's military training there. Abdulqadirakhum, and the other Uyghurs, all said the training they were provided was minimal, lasting a few hours, at most, and that most of their time and energy was consumed in their construction work.

Some of the Uyghurs denied receiving any training. They said it was optional, and they had opted out. All the Uyghurs, except Abdulqadirakhum, who acknowledged receiving some training, identified a fellow Uyghur named Abdul Haq as their trainer.

Abdulqadirakhum said that Maksum was killed during the US bombing campaign.

Bahtiyar Mahnut

Uyghur captive Bahtiyar Mahnut testified that he saw an individual named Hassan Mashum visit the camp once.[3] Bahtiyar Mahnut acknowledged that Hassam Mashum was a Uyghur leader. He disputed, however, that he was a leader of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement [sic], the Eastern Turkestan Organization [sic] or the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Party. He testified that during their long resistance to Chinese occupation the Uyghur people had formed a number of groups with names similar to those mentioned in the allegations, but, to the best of his knowledge, Hassan Mashum was a leader of the Freedom Movement Party or the Freedom Organization

Bahtiyar Mahnut did not find the allegation that Hassan Mashum would be allied to al Qaeda credible.[3]

Adel Noori

The Summary of Evidence memo prepared for Uyghur captive Adel Noori first annual Administrative Review Board stated[4]:

  • The detainee traveled to a Uighur safe house in Kabul, Afghanistan to receive training.
  • The Emir of the safe house was Hassan Mahsum, the leader of the East Tajikistan Islamic Party [sic].
  • Hassan Mahsum visited the safe house a few days after detainee arrived at the safe house in August 2001, and again at the onset of the United States bombing campaign in October 2001.
  • Hassan Maksoon (ph) oversees the operation of a small school in Kabul, Afghanistan where groups of three Uighurs train in Islam and light weapons operations.

References

  1. ^ Seema Saifee interview with Der Spiegel
  2. ^ Summarized transcripts (.pdf), from Abdullah Abdulqadirakhum'sCombatant Status Review Tribunal - pages 26-39
  3. ^ a b OARDEC (29 August 2005). "Summary of Administrative Review Board Proceedings for ISN 277". United States Department of Defense. pp. pages 43–55. http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/ARB_Transcript_Set_6_20255-20496.pdf#43. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
  4. ^ OARDEC (1 July 2005). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Noori, Adel". United States Department of Defense. pp. pages 42–44. http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/ARB_Round_1_Factors_000495-000594.pdf#42. Retrieved 2007-12-19.