U.S. prison frees five Pakistanis

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, November 22, 2003

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Five Pakistani prisoners arrived home Saturday after being freed by American authorities from the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, officials said.

The men were captured in Afghanistan during the U.S.-led campaign to oust the Taliban in late 2001, and were later shifted to Guantanamo Bay to investigate their suspected links to al-Qaida, an Interior Ministry official said.

The official said the men will remain in Pakistani custody for a few days before being allowed to go free. "We believe that they had no links with any militant groups, but we want to satisfy ourselves before allowing them to go to their homes."

So far, U.S. authorities have released nearly a dozen Pakistani prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, including a 51-year-old man, Mohammed Sanghir, who has filed a lawsuit against U.S. authorities demanding $10.4 million in compensation for his detention.

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