The U.S. military said Monday it released 23 Afghan and three Pakistani citizens from the U.S. Navy prison for terrorist suspects in Cuba, leaving about 610 still in detention. They were flown back to Afghanistan and Pakistan aboard U.S. aircraft, officials said.
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In a brief statement, the Pentagon did not say specifically why the 26 were let go but said each case is reviewed separately to determine whether a prisoner is of further intelligence value to the United States and whether he is believed to pose a threat to this country. "The circumstances in which detainees are apprehended can be ambiguous, and many of them are highly skilled in concealing the truth," the statement said. "The process of evaluation and detention is not free of risk - at least one detainee has gone back to the fight" after being released.
"Nice work, John, getting that tracking beacon inserted into that mope."
"Thanks Tyrone, now let's see where he leads us." |
Terms of Monday's prisoner release were not disclosed, but it appeared it would be up to the prisoners' governments to decide what to do with them. The Pentagon says it has released a total of 119 prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, and 12 others have been transferred for continued detention elsewhere. |