1 in 7 freed detainees rejoins fight, report says

Findings could aid those seeking to keep Gitmo prisoners from U.S.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30853290/

May 20, 2009

WASHINGTON - An unreleased Pentagon report provides new details concluding that about one in seven of the 534 prisoners already transferred abroad from the detention center in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has returned to terrorism or militant activity, according to administration officials.

The conclusion could strengthen the arguments of critics who have warned against releasing any more prisoners as part of President Obama’s plan to shut down the prison by January 2010. Past Pentagon reports on Guantánamo recidivism, however, have been met with skepticism from civil liberties groups and criticized for their lack of detail.

The Pentagon promised in January that the latest report would be released soon, but Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said this week that the findings were still “under review.”

A couple of things to remember...first, President Obama never said he was just going to throw the doors open and let everyone being held run free. He wants to determine their true status, whether they are actually terrorists, "enemy combatants", or a person who got caught up when someone "ratted them out" to settle a score (that has happened in a number of cases) and move the truly guilty to an appropriate US facility.

The other thing that people overlook is that since the Bush administration opened the prison camp, over 700 prisoners have gone through the facility. What happened to the 500+ that were released during his time in office? I guess it's OK that Bush released them, since he was keeping America safe, and Obama is pandering to terrorists. :roll:

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Originally Posted by moose135

A couple of things to remember...first, President Obama never said he was just going to throw the doors open and let everyone being held run free. He wants to determine their true status, whether they are actually terrorists, "enemy combatants", or a person who got caught up when someone "ratted them out" to settle a score (that has happened in a number of cases) and move the truly guilty to an appropriate US facility.

The other thing that people overlook is that since the Bush administration opened the prison camp, over 700 prisoners have gone through the facility. What happened to the 500+ that were released during his time in office? I guess it's OK that Bush released them, since he was keeping America safe, and Obama is pandering to terrorists. :roll:

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President Obama has been ambiguous as ever with conflicting speeches, during the campaign trail candidate Obama has said that Guantanamo should be closed & all of the occupants be given to the US court system, and then President Obama wants to close Guantanamo, but, does not release a plan.

You are seeing the Democrat members of Congress very nervous as to what President Obama is going to do, as, not even liberal members of Congress want the "terrorists" in the United States...

By this late date, I'd imagine that most of the (more or less) "innocent" detainees have in fact been "released" and apparently a number that were by no means "innocent" - and, yes, by the Bush Administration. While Saudi Arabia will take back their own citizens from Gitmo, there are quite a number of other countries - in the Middle East, and elsewhere (Europe, Canada etc) that do not want their citizens back - probably for good reason.

I tend to agree with Dr. Sowell's comments below...

<< Even under the Geneva Convention, enemy soldiers have no right to be turned loose before the war is over. Terrorists-- "militants" or "insurgents" for those of you who are squeamish-- have declared open-ended war against America. It is open-ended in time and open-ended in methods, including beheadings of innocent civilians. That war continues, so there is no reason to turn terrorists loose before it ends. They chose to make it that kind of war.>>