Former Gitmo Detainee, Released by Obama Though Suspected in Red Cross Murder, Rejoins Afghan Taliban . . . to Handle NGOs

At the Long War Journal, Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn break the story of Abdul Hafiz, a terrorist who was held at Gitmo for six years after being implicated in the Taliban’s murder of ICRC employee Ricardo Munguía. Released by the Obama administration in December 2009, Hafiz rejoined the Taliban and has now been promoted, as Newsweek puts it, “to head a committee in charge of handling the insurgents’ hefty ransom demands for their kidnap victims and for dealing with nongovernment-aid organizations who are considering — or may already be running — projects in areas under Taliban influence.”

And you’ll no doubt be shocked to learn that the promotion was approved by a top Taliban commander who is also a former Gitmo detainee, Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul (aka Mullah Abdul Qayum Zakir), released by the Bush administration in 2007.