<p content="Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he would keep Guantanamo Bay open, breaking from his predecessor Barack Obama's lengthy and ultimately failed efforts to shutter the maligned detention facility." data-reactid="22" type="text">US President Donald Trump announced today he would keep Guantanamo Bay open, breaking from his predecessor Barack Obama&#39;s lengthy and ultimately failed efforts to shutter the maligned detention facility.

<p content="&quot;I just signed an order directing Secretary Mattis to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay,&quot; Trump said, in his State of the Union address to Congress, in keeping with a campaign promise." data-reactid="23" type="text">&quot;I just signed an order directing Secretary Mattis to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay,&quot; Trump said, in his State of the Union address to Congress, in keeping with a campaign promise.

<p content="Under president George W. Bush, the US military hastily constructed a prison camp on Guantanamo Bay, located on the US naval base on the eastern tip of Cuba, in the months following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks." data-reactid="24" type="text">Under President George W. Bush, the US military hastily constructed a prison camp on Guantanamo Bay, located on the US naval base on the eastern tip of Cuba, in the months following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

At first, inmates were held in cages and fenced in with razor wire, and conditions for the orange-jumpsuit-clad detainees provoked a global outcry in 2002.

<p content="That early facility, known as Camp X-Ray, was soon replaced with more permanent structures and today, Guantanamo Bay consists of numerous high-security prison buildings." data-reactid="26" type="text">That early facility, known as Camp X-Ray, was soon replaced with more permanent structures and today, Guantanamo Bay consists of numerous high-security prison buildings.

At the height of its operations after 9/11, the facility held 780 people, detained mostly for their alleged ties to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Since then, hundreds have been transferred back to their home countries or other places.

<p content="Some of the most notorious inmates, including several alleged 9/11 co-conspirators, among them accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are still awaiting trial." data-reactid="29" type="text">Some of the most notorious inmates, including several alleged 9/11 co-conspirators, among them, accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are still awaiting trial.

<p content="Their cases have been beset by legal woes at Guantanamo, where a bespoke criminal justice system grants detainees -- who are considered &quot;unprivileged enemy belligerents&quot; -- only some of the legal rights that US federal courts guarantee." data-reactid="30" type="text">Their cases have been beset by legal woes at Guantanamo, where a bespoke criminal justice system grants detainees -- who are considered &quot;unprivileged enemy belligerents&quot; -- only some of the legal rights that US federal courts guarantee.

Of the 41 inmates remaining at Guantanamo, about 26 are trapped in legal purgatory.

These so-called &quot;forever prisoners&quot; have never been charged -- yet they have been deemed too dangerous to release.

Some were cleared for release under Obama, but have been stranded at Guantanamo under the Trump administration.

- &#39;Bad dudes&#39; -

<p content="On the campaign trail, Trump famously vowed he would load Guantanamo with &quot;bad dudes,&quot; and said it would be &quot;fine&quot; if US terror suspects were sent there for trial." data-reactid="35" type="text">On the campaign trail, Trump famously vowed he would load Guantanamo with &quot;bad dudes,&quot; and said it would be &quot;fine&quot; if US terror suspects were sent there for trial.

In 2009, soon after he was sworn in, Obama ordered the prison to be closed within a year, and no new inmate has been sent there since early 2008.

<p content="Political bickering, vehement Republican opposition and foreign allies' reluctance to take in the prisoners meant Obama could not close Guantanamo, though the population dropped from 242 to 41 under his watch." data-reactid="37" type="text">Political bickering, vehement Republican opposition and foreign allies&#39; reluctance to take in the prisoners meant Obama could not close Guantanamo, though the population dropped from 242 to 41 under his watch.

Since becoming president, Trump has toyed with the idea of sending Americans to Guantanamo, though federal judges would likely bar any such attempt.

<p content="In October, he suggested that the man accused of carrying out a deadly truck attack along a bike path in New York could be sent to Guantanamo, but he later backed off the idea." data-reactid="39" type="text">In October, he suggested that the man accused of carrying out a deadly truck attack along a bike path in New York could be sent to Guantanamo, but he later backed off the idea.

<p content="Another case that could potentially bring Guantanamo into legal focus is that of a US citizen who was captured in Syria and had allegedly been fighting for the Islamic State group." data-reactid="40" type="text">Another case that could potentially bring Guantanamo into legal focus is that of a US citizen who was captured in Syria and had allegedly been fighting for the Islamic State group.

The man, whose name has not been released, is apparently being held in Iraq.

<p content="The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up his case and a federal judge has ruled that the US must give it advance notice before transferring the man overseas." data-reactid="42" type="text">The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up his case and a federal judge has ruled that the US must give it advance notice before transferring the man overseas.

That would allow time for the ACLU to mount a legal challenge.

Trump announces he would keep Guantanamo Bay open, breaking from his predecessor Obama's lengthy and ultimately failed efforts to shutter the facility

US President Donald Trump announced today he would keep Guantanamo Bay open, breaking from his predecessor Barack Obama's lengthy and ultimately failed efforts to shutter the maligned detention facility. "I just signed an order directing Secretary Mattis to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay," Trump said, in his State of the Union address to Congress, in keeping with a campaign promise. Under President George W. Bush, the US military hastily constructed a prison camp on Guantanamo Bay, located on the US naval base on the eastern tip of Cuba, in the months following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, attacks. At first, inmates were held in cages and fenced in with razor wire, and conditions for the orange-jumpsuit-clad detainees provoked a global outcry in 2002. That early facility, known as Camp X-Ray, was soon replaced with more permanent structures and today, Guantanamo Bay consists of numerous high-security prison buildings. At the height of its operations after 9/11, the facility held 780 people, detained mostly for their alleged ties to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Since then, hundreds have been transferred back to their home countries or other places. Some of the most notorious inmates, including several alleged 9/11 co-conspirators, among them, accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are still awaiting trial. Their cases have been beset by legal woes at Guantanamo, where a bespoke criminal justice system grants detainees -- who are considered "unprivileged enemy belligerents" -- only some of the legal rights that US federal courts guarantee. Of the 41 inmates remaining at Guantanamo, about 26 are trapped in legal purgatory. These so-called "forever prisoners" have never been charged -- yet they have been deemed too dangerous to release. Some were cleared for release under Obama, but have been stranded at Guantanamo under the Trump administration. - 'Bad dudes' - On the campaign trail, Trump famously vowed he would load Guantanamo with "bad dudes," and said it would be "fine" if US terror suspects were sent there for trial. In 2009, soon after he was sworn in, Obama ordered the prison to be closed within a year, and no new inmate has been sent there since early 2008. Political bickering, vehement Republican opposition and foreign allies' reluctance to take in the prisoners meant Obama could not close Guantanamo, though the population dropped from 242 to 41 under his watch. Since becoming president, Trump has toyed with the idea of sending Americans to Guantanamo, though federal judges would likely bar any such attempt. In October, he suggested that the man accused of carrying out a deadly truck attack along a bike path in New York could be sent to Guantanamo, but he later backed off the idea. Another case that could potentially bring Guantanamo into legal focus is that of a US citizen who was captured in Syria and had allegedly been fighting for the Islamic State group. The man, whose name has not been released, is apparently being held in Iraq. The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up his case and a federal judge has ruled that the US must give it advance notice before transferring the man overseas. That would allow time for the ACLU to mount a legal challenge.

Trump vows to keep Guantanamo Bay prison open

Nils Melzer, UN&#39;s special rapporteur on torture, said that an inmate at the US&nbsp;detention facility at Guantanamo Bay is still being tortured.&nbsp;

&ldquo;By failing to prosecute the crime of torture in CIA custody, the US&nbsp;is in clear violation of the Convention against Torture and is sending a dangerous message of complacency and impunity to officials in the US&nbsp;and around the world,&rdquo; Melzer said in the statement.

Ammar al-Baluchi, an inmate in Guantanamo Bay, was reported to have been tortured and ill-treated.

The UN statement also reported al-Baluchi&nbsp;to have suffered relentless torture for three-and-a-half years in CIA &ldquo;black sites&rdquo; before he was moved to Guantanamo.&nbsp;

The inmate had been kept in isolation at a severely restricted-access facility at Guantanamo Bay for more than a decade.

Al-Baluchi was named 153 times in the US&nbsp;Senate&#39;s 2014 &quot;torture report&quot;, the result of a six-year investigation into so-called enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.&nbsp;

&quot;In addition to the long-term effects of past torture, noise and vibrations are reportedly still being used against him, resulting in constant sleep deprivation and related physical and mental disorders, for which he allegedly does not receive adequate medical attention.&rdquo;&nbsp;

The statement did not carry any details of the source of the information linked to al-Baluchi&#39;s torture.

Former President Barack Obama ended the use of &quot;enhanced interrogation techniques&quot; via executive order in January 2009, but Melzer said the historic use of torture in CIA custody had not yet led to prosecutions or compensation for victims.&nbsp;

Melzer said the ban on torture and ill-treatment was one of the most fundamental norms of international law and could not be justified in any circumstances.

He said he had renewed a long-standing request to visit Guantanamo Bay to interview inmates, but he and his predecessors in the role had consistently been denied access.&nbsp;

There was no immediate comment from US&nbsp;officials in Geneva.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Former President Barack Obama ended the use of 'enhanced interrogation techniques' via executive order in January 2009

Nils Melzer, UN's special rapporteur on torture, said that an inmate at the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay is still being tortured. “By failing to prosecute the crime of torture in CIA custody, the US is in clear violation of the Convention against Torture and is sending a dangerous message of complacency and impunity to officials in the US and around the world,” Melzer said in the statement. Ammar al-Baluchi, an inmate in Guantanamo Bay, was reported to have been tortured and ill-treated. The UN statement also reported al-Baluchi to have suffered relentless torture for three-and-a-half years in CIA “black sites” before he was moved to Guantanamo. The inmate had been kept in isolation at a severely restricted-access facility at Guantanamo Bay for more than a decade. Al-Baluchi was named 153 times in the US Senate's 2014 "torture report", the result of a six-year investigation into so-called enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "In addition to the long-term effects of past torture, noise and vibrations are reportedly still being used against him, resulting in constant sleep deprivation and related physical and mental disorders, for which he allegedly does not receive adequate medical attention.” The statement did not carry any details of the source of the information linked to al-Baluchi's torture. Former President Barack Obama ended the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" via executive order in January 2009, but Melzer said the historic use of torture in CIA custody had not yet led to prosecutions or compensation for victims. Melzer said the ban on torture and ill-treatment was one of the most fundamental norms of international law and could not be justified in any circumstances. He said he had renewed a long-standing request to visit Guantanamo Bay to interview inmates, but he and his predecessors in the role had consistently been denied access. There was no immediate comment from US officials in Geneva. (With inputs from Reuters)

UN expert says inmate still being tortured at Guantanamo Bay

While 9/11 failed to bring America to its knees as Al-Qaeda hoped, it ushered in an era of instability, especially in the Middle East, that Islamic extremists have skilfully exploited, analysts say. 
 
By reacting with a doctrine of &quot;Shock and Awe&quot; and invading Iraq in 2003, the US committed a series of missteps that indirectly helped foment jihadism, say critics. 
 
Founded in the 1980s, Al-Qaeda was gravely weakened after being expelled from Afghanistan in 2001 by the US-led invasion of the country that had harboured the terror group&#39;s leader Osama bin Laden. 
 
But the occupation of Iraq offered them a new opportunity, underlining how jihadist groups have resisted attempts to vanquish them and have now expanded into franchises in the Middle East, Asia, the West and parts of Africa. 
 
&quot;September 11 was the culmination of several years of planning by Al-Qaeda of &#39;the big one&#39;,&quot; Didier Le Bret, who recently resigned as France&#39;s national intelligence coordinator to run in next year&#39;s parliamentary election, told AFP. 
 
&quot;Above all it marked the start of a realisation (by the Americans) of their vulnerability on home soil. And that is something they cannot bear.&quot; 
 
He said the invasion illustrated the dangers of acting first and worrying about the consequences afterwards. 
 
Among the consequences was the damage done to America&#39;s reputation by the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, the camp opened by George W Bush at a US base in Cuba to hold &quot;enemy combattants&quot; captured around the world. 
 
For Le Bret, the conflict in Iraq was &quot;an unfinished war, built on a lie&quot; that ended up destabilising the whole region. 
 
Jean-Pierre Filiu, professor of Middle East studies at Sciences-Po University in Paris, said it also squandered support for the US among its allies. 
 
&quot;The US enjoyed unprecedented international solidarity in its campaign against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (in Afghanistan),&quot; he said. &quot;But after that campaign, which was crowned with success within a few weeks, the Neoconversatives imposed a strategy of a &#39;global war on terror&#39; which reignited global jihad.&quot; 
 
Tai chi terror tactics 
 
The US presence in Iraq made it a magnet for jihadists, with Al-Qaeda in Iraq becoming a major force in the post-war insurgency that later morphed into the Islamic State (IS) group. 
 
IS extremists, seeing power vacuums created through weak governance in Iraq and a civil war in Syria, grabbed territory in both countries after declaring their &quot;caliphate&quot; for Muslims in 2014. 
 
Spurred by social media and the forces of globalisation, they have since encouraged Muslims to take up arms against the West which they see as an ideological enemy. 
 
While conducting a campaign of mass murder and terror in territories under their control, they have spread their tentacles worldwide, inspiring or carrying out attacks in France, Germany, the United States, Turkey or Bangladesh. 
 
&quot;Daesh, or the so-called Islamic State, was born out of the alliance of two totalitarianisms, that of Al-Qaeda and the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein,&quot; Filiu said. 
 
&quot;Instead of taking the measure of this new threat, Barack Obama was for a long time in denial, allowing the emergence of a &#39;terror caliphate&#39; that has spread around the world,&quot; he argued. 
 
Obama&#39;s reticence to commit the US to a new battle in the Middle East reflected the caution of a nation scarred by Iraq, where thousands of US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians died during the post-invasion insurgency.&nbsp; 
 
Bin Laden&#39;s son said 9/11 was aimed at setting up a grand showdown with America in Afghanistan where the Soviet army had been defeated by US-backed mujahideen. 
 
&quot;I was surprised the Americans took the bait&quot;, Omar bin Laden, one of 11 sons, told Rolling Stone magazine in 2010, a year before his father&#39;s death at the hands of US special forces. 
 
By forcing Washington out of its isolationism and luring it into Iraq, bin Laden was using what historian Yuval Noah Harari calls the &quot;tai-chi masters method.&quot; 
 
&quot;The terrorists hope that even though they can barely dent the enemy&#39;s material, power, fear and confusion will cause the enemy to misuse its strength,&quot; the author of Sapiens, a history of humanity, wrote in The Guardian newspaper last year. 
 
&quot;Terrorists calculate that when the enraged enemy uses its massive power against them, it will raise a much more violent military and political storm than the terrorists themselves could ever create.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

By reacting with the doctrine and invading Iraq in 2003, the US committed a series of missteps that indirectly helped foment jihadism

While 9/11 failed to bring America to its knees as Al-Qaeda hoped, it ushered in an era of instability, especially in the Middle East, that Islamic extremists have skilfully exploited, analysts say. By reacting with a doctrine of "Shock and Awe" and invading Iraq in 2003, the US committed a series of missteps that indirectly helped foment jihadism, say critics. Founded in the 1980s, Al-Qaeda was gravely weakened after being expelled from Afghanistan in 2001 by the US-led invasion of the country that had harboured the terror group's leader Osama bin Laden. But the occupation of Iraq offered them a new opportunity, underlining how jihadist groups have resisted attempts to vanquish them and have now expanded into franchises in the Middle East, Asia, the West and parts of Africa. "September 11 was the culmination of several years of planning by Al-Qaeda of 'the big one'," Didier Le Bret, who recently resigned as France's national intelligence coordinator to run in next year's parliamentary election, told AFP. "Above all it marked the start of a realisation (by the Americans) of their vulnerability on home soil. And that is something they cannot bear." He said the invasion illustrated the dangers of acting first and worrying about the consequences afterwards. Among the consequences was the damage done to America's reputation by the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, the camp opened by George W Bush at a US base in Cuba to hold "enemy combattants" captured around the world. For Le Bret, the conflict in Iraq was "an unfinished war, built on a lie" that ended up destabilising the whole region. Jean-Pierre Filiu, professor of Middle East studies at Sciences-Po University in Paris, said it also squandered support for the US among its allies. "The US enjoyed unprecedented international solidarity in its campaign against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (in Afghanistan)," he said. "But after that campaign, which was crowned with success within a few weeks, the Neoconversatives imposed a strategy of a 'global war on terror' which reignited global jihad." Tai chi terror tactics The US presence in Iraq made it a magnet for jihadists, with Al-Qaeda in Iraq becoming a major force in the post-war insurgency that later morphed into the Islamic State (IS) group. IS extremists, seeing power vacuums created through weak governance in Iraq and a civil war in Syria, grabbed territory in both countries after declaring their "caliphate" for Muslims in 2014. Spurred by social media and the forces of globalisation, they have since encouraged Muslims to take up arms against the West which they see as an ideological enemy. While conducting a campaign of mass murder and terror in territories under their control, they have spread their tentacles worldwide, inspiring or carrying out attacks in France, Germany, the United States, Turkey or Bangladesh. "Daesh, or the so-called Islamic State, was born out of the alliance of two totalitarianisms, that of Al-Qaeda and the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein," Filiu said. "Instead of taking the measure of this new threat, Barack Obama was for a long time in denial, allowing the emergence of a 'terror caliphate' that has spread around the world," he argued. Obama's reticence to commit the US to a new battle in the Middle East reflected the caution of a nation scarred by Iraq, where thousands of US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians died during the post-invasion insurgency. Bin Laden's son said 9/11 was aimed at setting up a grand showdown with America in Afghanistan where the Soviet army had been defeated by US-backed mujahideen. "I was surprised the Americans took the bait", Omar bin Laden, one of 11 sons, told Rolling Stone magazine in 2010, a year before his father's death at the hands of US special forces. By forcing Washington out of its isolationism and luring it into Iraq, bin Laden was using what historian Yuval Noah Harari calls the "tai-chi masters method." "The terrorists hope that even though they can barely dent the enemy's material, power, fear and confusion will cause the enemy to misuse its strength," the author of Sapiens, a history of humanity, wrote in The Guardian newspaper last year. "Terrorists calculate that when the enraged enemy uses its massive power against them, it will raise a much more violent military and political storm than the terrorists themselves could ever create." (AFP)

'Shock and awe' response to 9/11 helped jihad's spread: Analysts

US officials said on Monday 15 inmates from the&nbsp;Guantanamo prison were&nbsp;transferred to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the single largest&nbsp;transfer&nbsp;of&nbsp;Guantanamo detainees during President Barack Obama&#39;s administration.

The&nbsp;transfer&nbsp;of the 12 Yemeni and three Afghan citizens brings the total number of detainees down to 61 at the US naval base in&nbsp;Guantanamo&nbsp;Bay, Cuba. Most have been held without charge or trial for more than a decade, drawing international condemnation.

Obama, who had hoped to close the prison during his first year in office, rolled out his plan in February aimed at shutting the facility. But he faces opposition from many Republican lawmakers as well as some fellow Democrats.

&quot;In its race to close Gitmo, the Obama administration is doubling down on policies that put American lives at risk,&quot; Republican Representative Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement.

&quot;Once again, hardened terrorists are being released to foreign countries where they will be a threat,&quot; he said.

While Obama&#39;s plan for shuttering the facility calls for bringing the several dozen remaining prisoners to maximum-security prisons in the United States, US&nbsp;law bars such&nbsp;transfers to the mainland. Obama, though, has not ruled out doing so by executive action.

&quot;I think we are at an extremely dangerous point where there is a significant possibility this is going to remain open as a permanent offshore prison to hold people, practically until they die,&quot; said Naureen Shah, Amnesty International&#39;s US&nbsp;director for security and human rights.

Shah said keeping&nbsp;Guantanamo&nbsp;open gave cover to foreign governments to ignore human rights.

&quot;It weakens the US&nbsp;government&#39;s hand in arguing against torture and indefinite detention,&quot; she said.

One of the detainees who was&nbsp;transferred is an Afghan national, identified as Obaidullah, who has spent more than 13 years at&nbsp;Guantanamo. He had been accused of storing mines to be used against American forces in Afghanistan.

&quot;The continued operation of the detention facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners, and emboldening violent extremists,&quot; Lee Wolosky, the State Department&#39;s special envoy for closing the&nbsp;Guantanamodetention centre, said.

&quot;The support of our friends and allies&nbsp;- like the UAE -&nbsp;&nbsp;is critical to our achieving this shared goal,&quot; Wolosky said.

A State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity said the UAE had resettled five detainees&nbsp;transferred in November 2015. 
 
(Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

Obama rolled out a plan in February aimed at shutting the facility but?faces opposition from some fellow democrats and Republicans

US officials said on Monday 15 inmates from the Guantanamo prison were transferred to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the single largest transfer of Guantanamo detainees during President Barack Obama's administration. The transfer of the 12 Yemeni and three Afghan citizens brings the total number of detainees down to 61 at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Most have been held without charge or trial for more than a decade, drawing international condemnation. Obama, who had hoped to close the prison during his first year in office, rolled out his plan in February aimed at shutting the facility. But he faces opposition from many Republican lawmakers as well as some fellow Democrats. "In its race to close Gitmo, the Obama administration is doubling down on policies that put American lives at risk," Republican Representative Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. "Once again, hardened terrorists are being released to foreign countries where they will be a threat," he said. While Obama's plan for shuttering the facility calls for bringing the several dozen remaining prisoners to maximum-security prisons in the United States, US law bars such transfers to the mainland. Obama, though, has not ruled out doing so by executive action. "I think we are at an extremely dangerous point where there is a significant possibility this is going to remain open as a permanent offshore prison to hold people, practically until they die," said Naureen Shah, Amnesty International's US director for security and human rights. Shah said keeping Guantanamo open gave cover to foreign governments to ignore human rights. "It weakens the US government's hand in arguing against torture and indefinite detention," she said. One of the detainees who was transferred is an Afghan national, identified as Obaidullah, who has spent more than 13 years at Guantanamo. He had been accused of storing mines to be used against American forces in Afghanistan. "The continued operation of the detention facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners, and emboldening violent extremists," Lee Wolosky, the State Department's special envoy for closing the Guantanamodetention centre, said. "The support of our friends and allies - like the UAE - is critical to our achieving this shared goal," Wolosky said. A State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity said the UAE had resettled five detainees transferred in November 2015. (Reuters)

15 sent to UAE in single largest transfer of Guantanamo inmates during Obama adminsitration

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Trump vows to keep Guantanamo Bay prison open

UN expert says inmate still being tortured at Guantanamo Bay

'Shock and awe' response to 9/11 helped jihad's spread: Analysts

15 sent to UAE in single largest transfer of Guantanamo inmates during Obama adminsitration