30 More Sent to Cuba in War on Terrorism
About 30 more detainees in the U.S. war on terrorism were flown from Afghanistan to an American naval base in Cuba on Sunday, bringing to about 660 the number of prisoners being held there, the Pentagon said.
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Barbara Burfeind, a Defense Department spokeswoman, also said that 18 detainees had been released Friday from the naval base at Guantanamo Bay and returned to their home countries by the U.S. military.
The United States has held men it calls “unlawful combatants” at high-security detention facilities at the Cuba base since January 2002. None has been charged with a crime, although Washington has said some might be tried by military courts.
Small numbers have been released periodically as Washington has determined that they are no longer useful for intelligence purposes, according to the Pentagon.
Most of the detainees at the base were captured in the war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda guerrillas in Afghanistan, although some have been moved from other areas of the world, according to Defense officials.
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