One of Barack Obama’s very first acts as president was to set a one-year deadline for the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. Having rounded third and heading for his new home in Chicago, Obama has dispatched a team to find homes for detainees on American soil.
Though he continually claims that Gitmo is a recruiting tool for Islamic extremists, the president doesn’t often speak about what happens to detainees who are released overseas (although the U.S. government did thank Saudi Arabia for recently taking 9 prisoners off our hands and ensuring their humane treatment).
"… killing about a half-dozen Americans."
Big scoop from @adamgoldmanwp and @missy_ryan:https://t.co/AMWFvWZc81— John Woodrow Cox (@JohnWoodrowCox) June 9, 2016
So what’s this now? According to the Washington Post, it turns out that former detainees are using their newfound freedom to reenlist.
From @adamgoldmanwp & me: US believes released GTMO detainees responsible for death of approx a half dozen Americans https://t.co/adCndLbd0l
— Missy Ryan (@missy_ryan) June 8, 2016
The Obama administration believes that about 12 detainees released from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have launched attacks against U.S. or allied forces in Afghanistan, killing about a half-dozen Americans, according to current and former U.S. officials.
In March, a senior Pentagon official made a startling admission to lawmakers when he acknowledged that former Guantanamo inmates were responsible for the deaths of Americans overseas.
…
… while most of the incidents were directed at military personnel, the dead also included one American civilian: a female aid worker who died in Afghanistan in 2008.
Which 12? Or doesn't the administration know that?
— Alka Pradhan ?? (@PradhanAlka) June 9, 2016
That’s likely classified, as in classified-classified — not like Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Admin facing pressure from Congress to disclose more details on GTMO recidivism; info has been highly classified https://t.co/adCndLbd0l
— Missy Ryan (@missy_ryan) June 8, 2016
Transparency! The clock is still ticking on Obama’s promise to empty Guantanamo; don’t believe for a second this revelation will deter him one bit.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member