Five Pakistanis returned home on Saturday after being freed by the United States from its detention centre in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to reports.

The five -- Hafiz Liaquat Manzoor, Mohammed Ishaq, Talha Mohammed, Majid Mahmood and Ijaz Ahmad -- were captured in Afghanistan during the US-led invasion in 2001, and were shifted to Guantanamo Bay to investigate their suspected links to the Al Qaeda.

Security officials in Pakistan were quoted as saying that the five would be questioned before being allowed to unite with their families.

The US has released 21 Pakistanis since November 2002, while 37 are still being held, the reports said.

Thousands of Pakistanis went to Afghanistan to support the Taliban against the American-led coalition there.