KABUL, Afghanistan, May 24 (UPI) -- A Taliban leader freed after being detained both at Guantanamo Bay and in Afghanistan claims he was mistreated by the U.S. military.
Mulla Abdul Salam Zaeef, once regarded as being close to Taliban leader Mullah Omar, told CNN he is no longer with the militant group but believes the United States will never be victorious in Afghanistan as there is no choice for the Taliban except to fight.
Zaeef, released in 2006 after being detained at Afghanistan's s Bagram Air Base and at Guantanamo, said he remains bitter because of alleged mistreatment at both places, the U.S. news network reported.
On U.S. plans to close Guantanamo Bay, Zaeef told CNN said those "who are torturing people, who abuse people" must also be brought to justice.
The U.S. Justice Department has said it will remove the "enemy combatant" classification the military has imposed on detainees such as Zaeef, the report said.
CNN quoted the Pentagon as saying preliminary intelligence assessments show more than 14 percent of detainees released from Guantanamo either returned, or are suspected of returning, to terrorism.
"Anyone in the world, to be deprived of any kind of human rights, any kind of justice -- he becomes angry, so he will try to get revenge," Zaeef told CNN.
