Study Sees Threat in Guantánamo Detainees
-William Glaberson
[A] new study of detainees argues that many were a proven threat to United States forces.
The report is essentially a rebuttal of assertions by advocates for detainees that Guantánamo Bay is filled with hapless innocents who pose no real threat.
It paints a chilling portrait of the detainees, asserting that publicly available information indicates that 73 percent of them were a “demonstrated threat” [and] 95 percent were a “potential threat,” including detainees who had played a supporting role in terrorist groups or had expressed a commitment to pursuing violent jihadist goals.
[New York Times]
-William Glaberson
[A] new study of detainees argues that many were a proven threat to United States forces.
The report is essentially a rebuttal of assertions by advocates for detainees that Guantánamo Bay is filled with hapless innocents who pose no real threat.
It paints a chilling portrait of the detainees, asserting that publicly available information indicates that 73 percent of them were a “demonstrated threat” [and] 95 percent were a “potential threat,” including detainees who had played a supporting role in terrorist groups or had expressed a commitment to pursuing violent jihadist goals.
[New York Times]
UPDATE:
At least 30 former Guantanamo Bay detainees have been killed or recaptured after taking up arms against allied forces following their release.
They have been discovered mostly in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but not in Iraq, a US Defence Department spokesman told The Age yesterday.
Commander Jeffrey Gordon said the detainees had, while in custody, falsely claimed to be farmers, truck drivers, cooks, small-arms merchants, low-level combatants or had offered other false explanations for being in Afghanistan.
[The Age]
They have been discovered mostly in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but not in Iraq, a US Defence Department spokesman told The Age yesterday.
Commander Jeffrey Gordon said the detainees had, while in custody, falsely claimed to be farmers, truck drivers, cooks, small-arms merchants, low-level combatants or had offered other false explanations for being in Afghanistan.
[The Age]
3 comments:
If you read the article you can see it is not so clear cut. They are using the same data which a critical report previously used, and draw different conclusions. Though the Pentagon says it was an independent review, it was done by a Terrorism study center at Westpoint, and was commissioned by a Pentagon that made it clear it wanted to refute the first report. Even then, what it makes clear is that there may have been a good reason to originally round up a majority of these suspects for investigation, but does not explain why there has been so little progress made, and why they are still being held with very little rights.
Still there's good reason not to invite the Gitmo detainees over for dinner...or lunch...or breakfast...or even for a cup of tea.
There are a lot of people I don't invite over who aren't terrorists. Hopefully none of those I do invite are terrorists.
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