Free Republic

We all know the president wants to close Guantanamo Bay, the plans for which how that will be achieved are expected this month, but what happens if we continue to nab more Islamic extremists? For now, the interrogations occur on naval ships and the prisoners are transferred to other nations' legal systems, or they're brought here to be tried in our court system. That's including military commissions, according to the Associated Press. Yet, this lack of clarity on what to do if we see an uptick in captured terrorists has legal wonks and national security officials unnerved: "If you're going to...

When Ibrahim al Qosi was released from Guantanamo Bay in 2012, a lawyer for the former Usama bin Laden aide said he looked forward to living a life of peace in his native Sudan. Three years later, Qosi has emerged as a prominent voice of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, appearing in a number of AQAP propaganda videos -- including a 50-minute lecture calling for the takeover of Saudi Arabia. ...

The Obama administration announced Thursday the latest release of terrorists from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. One of the men, a Bosnian named Tariq Mahmoud Ahmed al-Sawah, admitted to being a member of al-Qaida and developed explosives for the terror group to target U.S. military personnel and civilians, the Free Beacon reported. The Hill first reported the release and transfer of al-Sawah back to Bosnia. Al-Sawah developed explosives and trained al-Qaida operatives in how to use them, according to his file, which was published by the New York Times. “Detainee is an admitted member of al-Qaida who developed...

What could go wrong? The Obama administration pushed its project to empty the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to a new level today. CNN’s Jake Tapper reported that the Department of Defense announced the release of a full-fledged member of al-Qaeda to Bosnia — one of the men who presented a threat to commercial airliners before getting captured in 2002 by purportedly inventing the shoe bomb: DOD announces transfer of Gitmo detainee Tariq Mahmoud Ahmed Al Sawah to Bosnia. Member of AQ who developed IEDs to use v commercial planes— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 21, 2016 The Miami Herald...

The Obama administration has released one of al Qaeda’s most skilled explosives experts, a man personally praised by Osama bin Laden and who created the shoe-bomb design that was used unsuccessfully to bring down an airliner in 2001. The Pentagon said on Thursday that Egyptian Tariq Mahmoud Ahmed Al Sawah, who may have known of the September 11, 2001 plot, was transferred to the government of Bosnia. Al Sawah fought with the Bosnia army in the early 1990s and eventually made his way to Afghanistan in 2000. Like other members of al Qaeda, al-Sawah began his terrorism career as a...

New limits are being imposed on media access to the detention center at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the commander of the military's Southern Command said Thursday, outlining rules that will limit what journalists can see and how often they can visit the already highly restricted site. Journalists will be allowed to visit the center on tours that will be organized once per quarter, lasting no more than a day, and they will no longer be able to visit inside the two detention center camps where a majority of the 107 current prisoners are held, Marine Corps Gen....

Demands return of dummy Hellfire missile Congress may consider blocking the United States and Cuba from conducting joint security exercises until the Obama administration can prove the communist regime has dialed back its anti-American efforts, according to a letter sent to the Pentagon and obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), a leading critic of the administration's detente with Cuba, petitioned Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Wednesday, demanding that he disinvite Cuba from the upcoming Caribbean Nations Security Conference, which will be held later this month in Jamaica. Cruz is concerned about recent reports that Cuba...

If Republicans on Tuesday win the majority of seats in the House, that body's intelligence panel is likely to give fresh oversight of the Obama administration's prosecution review of the CIA's enhanced interrogation program. Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, the highest-ranking Republican on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told The Washington Times last week that he would expect the next Republican chairman of the committee to hold hearings on how the threat of prosecutions has affected the CIA's morale. "I expect vigorous oversight of this administration now," Mr. Hoekstra said. "What has been the impact of [Attorney General...

The National Chief Iman (NCI), Sheikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, has welcomed the two Guantanamo Bay detainees who have been accepted to live in the country. "Any 'criminal' who has reformed and wants to reintegrate with any society must be accepted on humanitarian grounds, according to Islam, and that we consider as a duty," Sheikh Sharubutu said through his spokesman, Sheik Aremiyaw Shuaib. Sheikh Sharubutu was reacting to concerns expressed by some individuals and groups over the government's acceptance of the two detainees who were linked to terrorist activities....

Congressional Republicans are sending an early warning to the Defense Department that its plan to close Guantánamo Bay would break the law. "No matter how hard the President wishes it wasn't the case, transferring dozens of dangerous terrorists to any domestic location is illegal," Republican Sens. Cory Gardner (Colo.), Pat Roberts (Kan.) and Tim Scott (S.C.) said Friday. "Moving the detainees to South Carolina, Kansas or Colorado will not lead to even the smallest change in the beliefs or propaganda of radical Islamic terrorists." They added that the President Obama's push to create a "Gitmo North" location within the United...

With a phone and a pen. That is the answer as to how President Obama can transfer Guantanamo detainees to prisons on the U.S. mainland despite the fact that Congress expressly prohibited this. However, kudos to Jake Tapper on The Lead today for questioning the legality of such a transfer during an interview with an equally skeptical CNN Pentagon Correspondent, Barbara Starr.

The Defense Department announced Thursday that 10 Yemeni detainees have been set free from Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. All of them were sent to the Gulf state of Oman, the Pentagon said. Less than 100 detainees now remain at the military facility. “The Oman transfer of 10 is the single largest transfer to a single country at one time under the current administration,” A Pentagon spokesman told the media. Since the beginning of 2016, 14 detainees have been released from the detention facility. Previously released detainees include Al Qaeda terrorists and a man who pledged to kill Americans...

In President Obama's quest to shut down Guantanamo Bay, his administration is continuing apace in releasing detainees. We're only 13 days into the new year and four have already been released, including 40-year-old Muhammad al Rahman al-Shumrani. Al-Shumrani's transfer back to his home country of Saudi Arabia is particularly troublesome because he's already made it clear that killing Americans will be a top priority upon his release. According to his leaked confidential file, he reportedly told guards on October 14, 2007, the following: On 14 October 2007, detainee stated, "When I get out of here, I will go to...

The U.S. military is preparing a bulk transfer of 10 detainees on Thursday from its detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, two defense officials told Fox News. The transfer, amounting to about 10 percent of the remaining prisoners, marks the largest group of detainees to be shipped out of the camp since Defense Secretary Ash Carter informed Congress in December his department would transfer a wave of detainees at the beginning of 2016. The accelerated transfers reflect a renewed effort by the president - who is likely to highlight the issue in the State of the Union address Tuesday night...

Two Yemeni detainees held at the controversial US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been transferred to Ghana. The Pentagon said Khalid al-Dhuby had been approved for release since 2006 and Mahmoud Omar Bin Atef since 2009. Both have been held for more than a decade and have never been charged. Ghana has given permission for the men to stay for two years subject to security clearances, Foreign Minister Hanna Tetteh said. The West African nation has not previously taken any Guantanamo prisoners. .... According to military records, Mahmoud Omar Bin Atef is a Yemeni citizen born in Saudi...

The group of 17 detainees expected to be transferred out of Guantanamo Bay as early as this week includes “multiple bad guys” and “Al Qaeda followers,” a source who has reviewed the list told Fox News. Little is known publicly about which prisoners are being prepared for transfer, but the Obama administration has notified Congress it plans to ship out 17 detainees – some of whom could be transferred within days. While the identities of the men are closely held, the source who spoke with Fox News said it includes “multiple bad guys … not taxi drivers and cooks.” This...

The Obama Administration is struggling to find a cost effective way to shift Guantanamo Bay detainees to prisons on the U.S. mainland. Meanwhile, Puerto Rico is struggling through an unprecedented fiscal and economic crisis. These two problems could create a unique policy opportunity: to save federal taxpayer dollars and boost the Puerto Rican economy, move the detainees to the Commonwealth rather than to the mainland U.S. At his year-end press conference, President Obama continued to advance the fiscal case for shutting down the Guantanamo detention camp. In answer to a reporter's question, President Obama said, "I think we can make...

There is so much disinformation spreading around about the facility housing Jihadist terrorists at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba that one hardly knows where to begin. The most widespread lie is the myth that Guantanamo is a key recruiting tool for the global Jihad movement. That was NEVER true and it is not true today. This is a classic example of the “Big Lie,” in which government officials repeat a preposterous lie often enough and loud enough that it eventually becomes taken for granted as truth, first by the corrupt, recalcitrant media, and eventually by the ignorant...

Dysfunction The Obama Administration has had three Defense Secretaries - Robert Gates (who was a Bush Administration holdover), Chuck Hagel (who was apparently undercut on a regular basis and then pushed out) and now Ash Carter. Two Republicans and now a Democrat. But one thing all of them apparently have had in common is a disinclination to cooperate with Obama’s dream of closing the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay. And according to a Reuters report this morning, the Pentagon has consistently stonewalled attempts release prisons and to position Gitmo for the ultimate closing that would fulfill one of Obama’s most...

In September, U.S. State Department officials invited a foreign delegation to the Guantanamo Bay detention center to persuade the group to take detainee Tariq Ba Odah to their country. If they succeeded, the transfer would mark a small step toward realizing President Barack Obama's goal of closing the prison before he leaves office. The foreign officials told the administration they would first need to review Ba Odah's medical records, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the episode. The Yemeni has been on a hunger strike for seven years, dropping to 74 pounds from 148, and the foreign officials wanted...