Leon Panetta will not approve Guantánamo Taliban releases without assurances He told the Senate Armed Services Committee: "Absolutely no decisions have been made along this line." I can tell you this, that based on the law that's passed by the Congress, I have to certify that anybody who leaves Guantánamo cannot wind up going back to the enemy. Former Taliban officials now in Hamid Karzai's peace council believe the men, including Mohammad Fazl, once the Taliban's deputy defence minister; and Khairullah Khairkhwa, once governor of Herat; could then play a role in any later negotiations. Republican congressmen however have said they will reject such a concession and analysts believe it would be politically too risky for Barack Obama to attempt during this year's presidential election campaign. Files on the men released by WikiLeaks show American intelligence officials reported some were linked to foreign fighters or al-Qaeda. Mohammad Fazl and Noorullah Noori are also alleged to be implicated in ethnic massacres committed by Taliban troops in Takhar and Balkh provinces in 2000 and 2001.