Not to be confused with
Ahmad Shah Massoud, leader of the Afghan Northern Alliance.
Samoud Khan (also known as Sammoud Khan, or Commander Sammoud) is an Afghan former militia commander from
Logar Province.[1][2] He is said to have been a pro-American commander.[3]
Mousauwal Compound
Samoud's Mousauwal Compound is notorious for its many young men having been detained, sexually abused and forced to work:
Asadullah Rahman, the youngest
Guantanamo detainee, recounted being apprehended in Samoud's compound when it was raided by American troops.[1] Asadullah Rahman described being sold into servitude to Samoud, when he was about ten years old. By day he worked in Samoud's kitchen. Asadullah said that, by night, he was forced to perform sexual services for Samoud's men.[1]
Naqib Ullah was 14 when he was kidnapped, raped and enslaved in Samoud's compound.[4]
Another Guantanamo detainee,
Mohabet Khan, said he was forcibly conscripted into Samoud's forces shortly before Samoud's compound was captured by the Americans.[citation needed]
A third Guantanamo detainee,
Shardar Khan acknowledged working as a bodyguard for Samoud.[2] He testified that Samoud's local enemy was another militia leader named
Abdul Ali, who had murdered Samoud's son.[citation needed]
The San Francisco Chronicle quoted
Mohammed Sabir, a local police official who confirmed that "Commander Samoud" was not associated with the
Taliban, that he was a simple criminal who terrorized the nearby villages, and whose gang numbered about thirty men.[1]
In 2003, an Afghan, Mohammed Khan, was detained in Guantanamo because of his knowledge of Samoud Khan's whereabouts.[citation needed]