S E C RE T / / NOFORNI I 2O32OIOI DEPARTMENTOF DEFENSE HEADQUARTERS,JOINT TASK FORCEGUANTANAMO U.S. NAVAL STATION,GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA APO AE 09360 JTF-GTMO-CDR I January2007 MEMORANDUM FOR Commander,United StatesSouthem Command, 3511 NW 9lst Avenue, Miami,FL33172 SUBJECT: Recommendationfor Transfer Out of DoD Control (TRO) for Guantanamo Detainee,ISN: US9YM-000152DP(S) JTF-GTMO DetaineeAssessment l. (S//NF) Personal Information: o JDIMSATDRC ReferenceName: Asim Thahit Abdullah al- Khalaqi o Aliasesand Current/TrueName: Asim al-Yafii" Abu Hussayn.al-Dharab al-Yafii" al-Guraab o Placeof Birth: Riyadh. SaudiArabia (SA) o Date of Birth: 1968 . Citizenship: Yemen (YM) o InternmentSerial Number (ISN): US9YM-000152DP ) (U//FOUO) Health: Detaineeis in good health. 3. (S/NF) JTF-GTMO Assessment: a. (S) Recommendation: JTF-GTMO recommendsthis detaineefor TransferOut of DoD Control (TRO). JTF-GTMO previouslyassessed detainee as recommendedfor Continued Detention (CD) with Transfer Languageon 15 February 2006. CLASSIFIEDBY: MULTIPLESOURCES REASON:E.O. 12958, AS AMENDED,SECTION 1.4(C) DECLASSIFYON: 20320101 S E C R E T // NOFORNI I 2O32OIOI S E C RE T //NOFORN I I 2O32OIOI JTF-GTMO-CDR SUBJECT: Recommendationfor Transfer Out of DoD Control (TRO) for Guantanamo Detainee,ISN: US9YM-000152DP(S) b. (S//NF) Executive Summary: Detaineeis assessedto be a memberof UsamaBin Laden's(UBL's) 55tnArab Brigade,' and al-Qaida. Detaineeis also affrliatedwith the tiered Jarna'atTablighi (JT).' Detaineetraveled to Afghanistan (AF), probably received training and fought on the front lines. Detaineewas capturedwith Ali Muhammad Abdul Aziz al- Fakhri aka (Ibn al-Shaykhal-Libi), ISN US9LY-000212DP(LY-212), commanderof al- Qaidaforces in Tora Bora. JTF-GTMO determinedthis detaineeto be: o A MEDIUM risk, ashe may posea threatto the US, its interestsand allies. o A MEDIUM threat from a detentionperspective. o Of MEDIUM intelligencevalue. c. (S/NF) Summary of Changes: The following outlineschanges to detainee's assessmentsince the last JTF-GTMO recommendation.(Changes in this assessmentwill be annotatedby ) next to the footnote.) o Minor clarificationof detainee'sactivities and associatesis provided along with detainee'sidentification on an al-Qaidaguard schedule. 4. (S/NF) Detainee'sAccount of Events: The following sectionis based,unless otherwise indicated, on detainee'sown account. Thesestatements are included without consideration of veracity, accuracy, or reliability. a. (S/NF) Prior History: Although born in Saudi Arabia, detaineewas not granted S"audi citizenshipbecause his fatherwas Yemeni. Detaineeclaimed he graduatedhigh school.' Detaineeworked in Saudi Arabia at various fabric storesfor nine or ten years and a camping equipmentstore for two years." Detainee'sprior travelsinclude a trip to Baghdad,Iraq(V), where his father sought medical treatment,and a trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Detaineealso made three trips to Yemen. Detaineejustified his marriage in Yemen by I Analyst Note: The 55th Arab Brigade servedas UBL's primary battle formation supporting Taliban objectives, with UBL participating closely in the command and control of the brigade. Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi had primary operationalcommand of the Arab Brigade,serving as UBL's military commanderin the field. 2 Analyst Note: JT is an IICT Tier 2 Terrorist Support Entities (TSE). Tier 2 Terrorist Support Entities (TSE) have demonstratedthe intent and willingness to provide financial support to terrorist organizationsthat are willing to attack US personsor interestsor provide witting operational support to Tier 2 terrorist groups. '. 00152KB 06-FEB-2002,000152SIR 03-MAY-2004, TD-314100684-02 o ooots2302 2o-JUN-2003 2 S E C R E T // NOFORNI I 2O32OIOI s E c RE T // NOFORN I I 2032010r JTF-GTMO-CDR SUBJECT: Recommendationfor Transfer Out of DoD Control (TRO) for Guantanamo Detainee,ISN: US9YM-000152DP(S) stating that a wedding in Yemen was much less expensivethan one in Saudi Arabia where he lived.s b. (S/ND Recruitment and Travel: An individual namedAbu Ali (NFD approached detaineeat a mosquein Riyadh and proposedthat detaineego on a JT facilitated dawa (missionaryactivity) to Pakistan(PK)." ln the summerof 2001, detaineetraveled to Sanaa, YM, for a month and a half to obtain a Pakistani visa. Detaineebribed a clerk at the passport office in order to obtain his visa. Detaineethen retumed to Saudi Arabia. In preparation for his trip, detaineetraveled to Mecca, SA, to completeUmrah.T The following day, detainee flew to Pakistanvia Kuwait.o Detaineemet Abu Ali in Karachi.PK.v c. (S//NF) Training and Activities: Abu Ali took detaineeto meet other JT membersat severalmosques in Karachi. ln Karachi, detaineestayed at the main JT mosque for two weeks. In August 200I, detaineeand Abu Ali crossedinto Afghanistan using legitimate passports. They traveled to Kandahar,PK, where they stayedat a house to which Abu Ali had a k.y.to After two weeks they proceededto Kabul, AF, where they stayedfor a very short time before going to Jalalabad,AF. They rented a house in Jalalabadwhere they stayed a month and a half until hostilitiesbesan.rr 5. (S//NF) Capture Information: a. (S/A{F) John Walker Lindh, an American currently serving 20 years in prison for supplying servicesto the Taliban and carrying a weapon on the Taliban front lines, stated detaineetraveled with his group to the front lines. Lindh also reported detaineesplit from this group,12probably during the retreat of the Taliban and supporting forces following attacksby coalition forces in November 200I. Detaineetraveled to Jalalabadand then to the Tora Bora Mountains. After a few days of bombing by US and coalition forces in Tora Bora, detaineeclaimed he departedon foot with sevenother Arabs to Pakistanwhere he was captured.13Detainee stated he was aloneand surrenderedto Pakistaniauthorities.'o ln fact, t 000tSZSIRI6-AUG-2004,00015230220-MAY-2003,AnalystNote:Thedatesfortraveltolraq,Yemen,and the UAE areunknown. ' AnalystNote: Performingdawa requires a Muslim to preachhis religionto others,thus fulfilling his Islamic "invite" _ responsibilityto othersto Islam. ' AnalystNote: The Umrahis sometimescalled the minor or lesserpilgrimage. Although recommended, it is not - compulsoryfor a Muslim. " 000152302 20-JUN-2003, 000152 sIR 03-MAy-2004 n 000ts2SIR 30-MAR-2002, 000152 SIR 03-MAY-2004, Analyst Note: A variantof Abu Ali is Abu Alih. to000152 sIR 28-Nov-2003,000152 sIR 03-MAy-2004,TD-314t29323-02 " oool52302 2o-JLIN-2003 t' LrNDH JOHNwALKER- 302 r2-sEp-2002 t' tD-3 t+/00684-02 3 S E C R E T // NOFORNI I 2O32OIOI S E C R E T // NOFORN I I 2O32OIOI JTF-GTMO-CDR SUBJECT: Recommendationfor Transfer Out of DoD Control (TRO) for Guantanamo Detainee,ISN: US9YM-000152DP(S) detaineewas capturedalong with a large extremist force led out of Tora Bora by UBL- appointedmilitary commandelLY-2l2, in mid-December2001 following hostilitiesin the region.'t On 30 December200I, Pakistaniforces transferred detainee from Kohat, PK, to US custodyat the KandaharDetention Facility.r6 b. (S) Property Held: o Addressbook containing 130names and phone numberslT . Arabic writing, with 10 pagescut/torn, one cut into five pieces (indicating prayer times) o Money o 10,000Afghanis o 500 SaudiRiyals o The following items are reported to be pocket litter of detaineebut are not held at JTF-GTMO:r8 o S100USDIe o 1,000Pakistani Rupees o Foldedletter to family, not sent c. (S) Transferred to JTF-GTMOz 17 January2002 d. (S/NF) Reasonsfor Transfer to JTF-GTMO: To provide information on the following: o Potential Taliban recruitment campaign 6. (S/NF) Evaluation of Detainee'sAccount: Detaineecontinues to provide conflicting information. For instance,detainee claimed that he did not completemiddle school,but also claimed he completedhigh school. In May 2006, detaineeadmitted his alias Asim al-Yafii, but claimed he did not have any other aliases. In a May 2004 interview, detaineeacknowledged the to>ARB 1 document- SET 14. tt Withdrawalfrom Tora BoraAnalysis, IIR 7 739 339602, AnalystNote: Detainee'salias Asem al-Yafii is on this list of 84 mujahideencaptured in Pakistan;IIR 7 7393245 02,IIR 7 7393268 02, Analyst Note: Detainee'salias Asemal-Yafiie is number57 on this list of 68 mujahideencaptured in Pakistan;TD-314113174-03, Analyst Note: Detaineeis listedas 'Asim a1-((Yafa'i))on KSM's harddrive. Al-Libi is discussedin paragraph7a below. tuTD-314/00845-02, Analyst Note: Detaineeis in paragraphC10 of list. "AnalystNote:SeeTD-314101645-02and000l52ADDRESSBOOK3l-DEC-2001 fortranslationoftheaddress book. 18TD-314100684-oz lnDuring his ARB I tribunal.detainee admitted havins $100 USD. 4 S E C RE T / / NOFORN I I 2O32OIOI S E C R E T // NOFORN I I 2O32OIOI JTF-GTMO-CDR SUBJECT: Recommendationfor Transfer Out of DoD Control (TRO) for Guantanamo Detainee,ISN: US9YM-000152DP(S) aliasesAsim al-Yafii, al-Darrab, and Abu Hussayn. Detainee statedAbu Ali approachedhim about performing dawa, but has converselyclaimed that he approachedAbu Ali and expressed his desireto perform dawa, though he has provided little validated information for this activity. A joint US-Yemendelegation debriefing noted detainee was pointedly evasiveand clearly obscuringfacts aboutal-Qaida activities known to him. Detainee'scover story is assessedto be false. Detaineeis assessedto have traveled for the purposeof receiving training and participating in militant Islamic activity. Due to detainee'swithholding of information, gaps in his timeline, and numerousinconsistencies, detainee continues to demonstratesupport for extremism. 7. (S//NF)