The Taliban announced that the Omani government has lifted restrictions on two of its members, Abdul Zahir Sabir and Abdul Karim, who spent seven years in Oman following their release from Guantanamo Bay.
Matin Qanay, a spokesman for the Taliban’s Interior Ministry, stated that Sabir and Karim were under surveillance in Oman during this period.
Sabir, from the Hisarak district in Logar province, was detained by U.S. forces in May 2002 and held at Bagram prison in Parwan province, Afghanistan, before being transferred to Guantanamo in October 2002, Qani explained. He was released from Guantanamo on Jan. 16, 2017, and has since resided in Oman.
Karim was arrested by Pakistani forces on Aug. 14, 2002, and sent to Guantanamo in early 2003, spending 14 years there. Both were under a travel ban in Oman, according to Qani.
He noted that all restrictions have now been lifted, and they are expected to return to Kabul. In the city, banners displaying the photos of the two Taliban members have been erected, welcoming their return.
