Obaidullah (detainee) - Second Annual Administrative Review Board

Second Annual Administrative Review Board

A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Baidullah Bertola Obaydullah's second annual Administrative Review Board, on 11 August 2006. The memo listed factors for and against his continued detention.

The following primary factors favor continued detention

a. Commitment

1. The detainee stated that he joined Jamaat al-Tabligh when eight to ten men who belonged to Jamaat al-Tabligh came to his village of Mulani, located near Khowst, Afghanistan. The Jamaat al-Tabligh members stayed in the detainee's village for approsimately three days and discussed prayer and the Koran.
2. Jama'at Al Tablighi is a Pakistan based Islamic missionary organization used as a cover to mask travel and activities of terrorists, including members of al Qaida.
3. A source stated that the detainee was a coordinator for al Qaida. During the time of Taliban rule, he helped coordinate the movement and activities of various foreign al Qaida members.
4. A source stated that the detainee actually emplaced two Soviet anti-tank mines on a road. The mines were to be command detonated but the detainee had difficulties emplacing the devices. The detainee subsequently removed the mines after no United States forces passed by on the road and then a rain shower washed the dirt covering off the devices.
5. A source stated that the detainee continued to experiment to devise a means to detonate the mines. As of mid-July 2002, the detainee had at least 18 anti-tank mines hidden inside his compound.
6. The detainee was captured while carrying a notebook containing electronic and explosives schematics.

b. Training

The detainee stated that he was drafted by the Taliban and attended Taliban anti-tank mine school for two days then left to go into hiding from the Taliban.

c. Connections/Associations

1. A source stated that following the beginning of the allied forces campaign against al Qaida and the Taliban, the detainee used his compound to hid and subsequently relocate about 18 Arab al Qaida members to Pakistan.
2. A source stated that the detainee hid six additional al Qaida members in his residence subsequent to the Shahi Kot campaign.
3. A source stated that the detainee received orders from an Arab in Pakistan, approximately one month after the conclusion of Shahi Kot fighting to begin preparing command detonated mines to use against United States forces.
4. A source stated that the detainee also had received cash and additional explosives at his residence and traveled fairly frequently to Pakistan to receive instructions or to carry messages between Arab al Qaida members in Pakistan and their Afghan subordinates.

The following primary factors favor release or transfer

a. The detainee denied having any knowledge of the attacks in the United States prior to their execution on 11 September 2001 and also denied knowledge of any rumors or plans of future attacks on the United States or United States interests.

b. The detainee stated that he never attended training camps related to Jamaat al-Tablish, jihadists or the military.

c. The detainee stated that the information contained in the notebook was obtained when he attended a mechanical school in Khowst, Afghanistan, that the Taliban forced him to attend. The purpose of the school was to provide explosive and firearms training. The detainee described the contents of the notebook as directions on how to use the anti-tank mines not as electronic/explosive schematics.

d. The detainee stated that he took the training course to learn how to dispose of the mines.