United Press International April 27, 2007
Suspect al-Qaida leader sent to Guantanamo
WASHINGTON, April 27 (UPI) -- A major al-Qaida leader has been transferred from CIA custody to the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Pentagon said Friday.
The detainee was identified as Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, described as one of al-Qaida's top leaders, CNN reported. Military officials would not say how long he had been held by the CIA.
Globalsecurity.org described Hadi as a commander of a training camp prior to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and said that he was captured in January 2002. His captors are not identified.
"Abd al-Hadi associated with leaders of extremist groups allied with al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including the Taliban," the Pentagon said, describing him as "one of al-Qaida's highest-ranking and experienced senior operatives at the time of his detention."
He worked on communications between the Taliban and al-Qaida on targeting of U.S. forces during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, the Pentagon said.
© Copyright 2007, United Press International
