US President Barack Obama's decision to free five alleged terrorists from Guantanamo Bay detention centre has been welcomed with widespread criticism and horror by the Afghans.
According to the Washington Times, individuals from a population of 300,000 Afghans, who literally ran for their lives from Mohammed Fazl in 1999, are responding with fear and dismay to the release of the notorious commander, who perpetrated a scorched earth offensive to obtain control.
Local residents are terrified at his release, with some of them commenting on the amount of destruction and jeopardy he had caused in their lives.
The report adds that the former Guantanamo Bay detainee's release has been hailed by the Taliban as a major achievement, with its minister of foreign affairs, Mullah Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil, saying that in terms of military significance, Fazl was the most important.