Eighteen Afghans who were returned from the American detention center at Guantánamo Bay were freed today by the Afghan authorities and suddenly found themselves, shaken and tired, on the streets of Kabul. The men are the largest group to be released from Guantánamo since the center was set up more than a year ago. Wearing new clothes provided by the American authorities, they stood at the Kabul prison gates, worrying about where to spend the night and how to get home. Only one prisoner was met by his family and whisked away for celebrations at home. Most of the men are from distant southern or eastern provinces, and there had been no time to notify their relatives. Neither the Afghan authorities nor the American officials had given the men any money or assistance, they said. “We have no relatives here and no money to get home,” said Sher Ghulab, 30, a laborer from the eastern province of Jalalabad, holding a bag over his shoulder. Arrested in Pakistan and handed over to the American military in Afghanistan 18 months ago, Mr. Ghulab said he had spent five and a half months at the Kandahar air base in southern Afghanistan and the rest of the time, 14 months, in Guantánamo. Full Story
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