Haroon al-Afghani

The Al Jazeera news service profiled al-Afghani on January 20, 2016, describing him as an individual about whom "almost nothing certain is known". They identified him as a "forever prisoner"—one of those the 2009 Guantanamo Review Task Force concluded was too Dangerous to release—even though he was not charged with any crime.

The first review wasn't convened until November 20, 2013. Haroon al Afghani was denied approval for transfer on July 14, 2016.

On January 21, 2009, the day he was inaugurated, United States President Barack Obama issued three Executive orders related to the detention of individuals in Guantanamo. He put in place a new review system composed of officials from six departments, where the OARDEC reviews were conducted entirely by the Department of Defense. When it reported back, a year later, the Joint Review Task Force classified some individuals as too Dangerous to be transferred from Guantanamo, even though there was no evidence to justify laying charges against them. On April 9, 2013, that document was made public after a Freedom of Information Act request. Haroon al-Afghani was one of the 71 individuals deemed too innocent to charge, but too Dangerous to release. Obama said those deemed too innocent to charge, but too Dangerous to release would start to receive reviews from a Periodic Review Board.

Haroon al Afghan was transferred to the Guantanamo detention camps on June 22, 2007, and has been held there for 12 years, 11 months and 1 day. On June 22, 2007, the United States Department of Defense acknowledged transferring Haroon al-Afghani to Guantanamo. Prior to 2016, almost nothing certain was known about his background and activities. He had been held for more than eight years without being charged (leading to Al Jazeera naming him a "forever prisoner") before he was allowed legal representation, which was successfully pleaded for by Reprieve US.

It's believed that Afghani was born around 1981 and is from the Sherzad district in Nangarhar province in Afghanistan. "He was just a normal young boy", his relative said according to a report by Al Jazeera. Afghani was a student when the Taliban was in power. He studied economics at Hayatabad Science University in Peshawar, Pakistan.