Washington - Detainees at the Guantanamo military prison include fighters who sought to kill Americans, but also men who cooked, translated or had only tenuous militant ties but were nonetheless held for many years, according to a report released on Wednesday that is likely to fuel debate over closing the facility.
The report is the first unclassified compilation describing more than 100 prisoners held at the U.S. naval base in Cuba as of November 2015. More than two dozen have since been transferred.
Among detainees described in the 33-page Pentagon document is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which killed nearly 3 000 people.
Others include Mahammad Mani Ahmad al-Qahtani, whom US immigration authorities denied entry to the United States in August 2001 and was “almost certainly” to be the 20th September 11 hijacker. While al-Qahtani has often been referred to as the “20th hijacker,” several other men have also made the claim.
Al-Qahtani later fought in Afghanistan against the Northern Alliance, said the report, which was released by Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte. She is an advocate for keeping Guantanamo open and pushed the Pentagon for years to provide more information about detainees cleared for transfer.
“The more Americans understand about the terrorist activities and affiliations of these detainees, the more they will oppose the administration's terribly misguided plans to release them,” Ayotte said in a statement.
But among those held for more than a dozen years were also men like Muhammad Said Salim bin Salman, who received training at an al Qaeda camp, but spent time on the frontlines “possibly as a cook.”
Abdul Zahir was accused of working as a bookkeeper and translator for al Qaeda commanders and the Taliban. He said he did so because his family was threatened and denied direct involvement with the Taliban.
President Barack Obama, who vowed to close the prison before leaving office in January, is downsizing it by transferring detainees not considered security threats to foreign countries.
The prison holds 76 detainees, of whom 31 have been cleared for release. Overall, about 800 have been transferred, most under Republican President George W. Bush.
Obama and many other Democrats said holding prisoners for years without charge or trial goes against U.S. values and makes Guantanamo a recruiting tool for Islamist militants. Ayotte and many other Republicans call the prison essential for handling dangerous suspects.
Reuters