At least 10 Afghans, including a nomad leader who fought with the Taliban, have been released from a U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, officials said Wednesday. The men were escorted back to Afghanistan by a senior security official and are free to return to their homes, the government said. It was unclear when they were released. "The prisoners have shown their strong support for the peace-building and reconstruction process of the country and have intended to take active part in it," President Hamid Karzai's office said in a statement. The United States released the group "per the request of the government of Afghanistan," American military spokesman Maj. Scott Nelson said. Nelson said 10 prisoners were released, but presidential spokesman Rafiullah Mojaddedi said 11 people were freed. Mojaddedi said they included Naim Kuchi, a leader of Afghanistan's nomadic Kuchi tribe detained near Kabul by U.S. forces in January last year. Kuchi had served as a commander in Logar province during Taliban rule.
