Pakistan Arrests 20 Ex-Guantanamo Prisoners For Ties With Militant Groups
Pakistani law-enforcement agencies (LEA) have reportedly re-arrested more than 20 former Guantanamo Bay prisoners and are interrogating them for their links with militant and religious groups, said sources on Saturday.
The law-enforcers have arrested about twenty-one such prisoners from different areas of northern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, LEA sources told KUNA. When contacted interior ministry sources also confirmed the report.
They said the former Gitmo prisoners were arrested after reports that they have re-established links with militants and religiously-extremist groups.
There were also some reports that they were involved in terrorist activities in the country, said sources, adding, they will also help trace hideouts of Al-Qaeda commanders and main leaders. Sources said that the arrested militants are closely linked to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The report of arrests came as US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta in Kabul said that Ayman Al-Zawahri, the new Al Qaeda chief, is living in Pakistan’s bordering tribal belt.
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