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15.01.2016 Feature Article

Why America Is In A Race To Close Down Guantanama Bay?

Why America Is In A Race To Close Down Guantanama Bay?
15.01.2016 LISTEN

Guantanamo Bay referred to as G-bay or GTMO (GiTMO) is a military prison established by the United States in January 2002 to detain and interrogate people who the US describe as ‘extraordinarily dangerous’ and ultimately prosecute them for war crimes when charged and found guilty.

The facility is operated by the Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) of the United States government in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba comprising; Camp Delta, (including Camp Echo), Camp Iguana, and Camp X-Ray (which is now closed and its inmates transferred to Camp Delta).

Since the establishment of the detention camp the US has been bedevilled with series of attacks from terrorist groups including al-Qaida and now ISIS and other smaller belligerent groups spread out in the Middle East and parts of Africa.

It is the general perception of top American military chiefs both past and present that the continuing running of the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba is weakening US National Security and a drain on the American economy and also possibly part of the reason why terrorism may have been on the rise.

In a US MoD press release last year Brian P. McKeon, Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defence for Policy, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel is among the defence and national security officials who agree the Guantanamo detention centre weakens U.S. national security and should be closed.

He also added that, “Senior figures across the political spectrum have made clear that Guantanamo poses risks to our national security and should be closed,~ noting that former defence secretaries Robert M. Gates and Leon E. Panetta also support the detention centre’s closure.”

Mr McKeon did not mince his words when he also emphasized that President Barack Obama has determined that closing the Guantanamo detention facility is a ‘national security imperative’. “The president and his national security team believe that the continued operation of the facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies, and is used by violent extremists to incite local populations,” McKeon said.

It’s “no coincidence” that hostages being killed in recent Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant videos have been dressed in orange jumpsuits, “believed by many to be the symbol of the Guantanamo detention facility,” McKeon said. (www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/604060)

So you see why the US is now desperate to get all the detainees out of the detention centre. I am now inclined to believe that President Barack Obama wants to see the end to all the atrocities perpetrated by the extremists before he leaves office. But that is going to be a difficult task.

Destination Countries

So far around 34 countries have risked taking some of the G-bay detainees to help the United States close down the detention centre.

Africa

The six from Africa are; Egypt, Ghana, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan and Uganda.

The rest of the world

Some of the countries are; Albania, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iraq, Jordan, Maldives, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Tajikistan, Turkey and Yemen.

The rest are; Afghanistan, Bahrain, Estonia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

The United States is fully aware of the risks involved in transporting all these detainees these respective countries afore-mentioned and the burden that would be imposed onto them but when one is desperate to achieve a goal one will do anything with all available resources and strategies to achieve it.

It is imperative that the US government should closely monitor the activities of all the detainees in conjunction with their partners who have stood shoulder to shoulder with them in their time of need and provide the required support and assistance in mitigating any potential re-engagement of the former detainees.

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