03.31.16

Gitmo Detainees: How Many More Will Rejoin Terror Groups?

‘There Have Been Americans That Have Died Because Of Gitmo Detainees’

 

“The Pentagon plans to transfer about a dozen inmates of the Guantanamo military prison to at least two countries that have agreed to take them, a U.S. official said on Wednesday…” (“Pentagon To Send About A Dozen Guantanamo Inmates To Other Countries Soon,” Reuters, 3/30/16)

REP. DANA ROHRABACHER (R-CA): “Let me ask you this. We say that about 30 percent or whatever that figure is that have been released have been -- have returned to terrorist activities. How many lives have been lost by those terrorists who went back to their terrorist activities?” … PAUL LEWIS, Defense Department Special Envoy For Guantanamo Closure: “Sir, what I can tell you is unfortunately, there have been Americans that have died because of Gitmo detainees.” (U.S. House Of Representatives, Foreign Affairs Committee, Hearing, 3/23/16)

 

Obama Administration Previously: 'We're Going To Die Trying' To Close Gitmo

WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF DENIS McDONOUGH: “We’ll do audacious executive action throughout the course of the year — I’m confident about that.” (“President Obama May Require Federal Contractors To List Campaign Gifts,” The New York Times, 1/19/16)

  • McDONOUGH: “We will close Gitmo ... That's what the president will do.” (Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday,” 1/10/16)

SUSAN RICE, National Security Adviser: ‘I can tell you we’re going to die trying’ “‘I can’t say with certainty that we’re 100 percent going to get there, but I can tell you we’re going to die trying,’ said Susan Rice, Obama's national security adviser, in an interview.” (“Obama's Counterterrorism Chief Takes Fresh Stab At Closing Guantanamo,” Reuters, 11/4/15)

 

SEC DEF: ‘There Are People In Gitmo Who Are So Dangerous That We Cannot Transfer Them’

SEC. OF DEFENSE ASH CARTER: “[T]here are people in Gitmo who are so dangerous that we cannot transfer them to the custody of another government no matter how much we trust that government. I can't assure the president that it would be safe to do that. ... We're not going to be able to close Gitmo by magically making safe everybody who's in there.” (CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” 1/24/16)

  • GTMO Detainee: “... to the American be patient, your days is coming, one day we going to slaughter you behind the tree.” [Detainee leading the rest of his cell block singing]. (Department Of Defense Briefing, June 2006)

 

‘30 Percent Of The … Detainees Transferred Or Released, Are Now Either Confirmed Or Suspected Of Reengaging’ In Terrorist Activities

“The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has released its latest statistics on the number of former Guantanamo detainees who are either confirmed or suspected of returning to the fight. … The ODNI says that a total of 196 ex-Gitmo detainees, or 30 percent of the 653 total detainees transferred or released, are now either confirmed or suspected of reengaging. The number of confirmed recidivists (117) outnumbers those on the suspected list (79). The figures are current as of July 15, 2015.” (“More Than 100 Ex-Gitmo Recidivists At Large,” The Weekly Standard, 9/4/15)

 

This Year: Former Detainees ‘Promot[ing] Jihad,’ Rejoining Al Qaeda, Suspected Of Recruiting Islamic State Fighters

“A former detainee at the American military prison in Guantanamo Bay, who once served as Osama bin Laden's bodyguard and driver, recently released an audio tape in which he promotes jihad in east Africa.” ("Freed Guantanamo Bay Detainee Promotes Jihad in Somalia," ABC News, 2/26/2016)

  • “In a message released Thursday on the social media messaging app Telegram and attributed to Ibrahim Qosi, Qosi told fighters in Somalia to ‘continue the raid with a raid, and light up the ground beneath the feet of the Crusaders and team them that the lands of Islam are a fortress that is not allowed to the disbelievers, and a graveyard for the invaders,' according to a translation by the SITE Intelligence Group. 'Victory is brought by blood and suffering, not by promises and wishes from every libertine,’ he said.” ("Freed Guantanamo Bay Detainee Promotes Jihad in Somalia," ABC News, 2/26/2016)
  • “Though the detainee file describes Qosi as ‘high risk’ and of ‘high intelligence value,’ he was released from Guantanamo Bay in July 2012 after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and supporting terrorism. He had originally been sentenced to 14 years, but the sentence was reduced to two . . . At the time of his release to Sudan, the Pentagon said the U.S. had coordinated with Sudan's government to ensure ‘appropriate security and humane treatment measures’ for Qosi. But by late 2014, Qosi had reportedly joined al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen, AQAP, and shortly thereafter became one of its senior members.” ("Freed Guantanamo Bay Detainee Promotes Jihad in Somalia," ABC News, 2/26/2016)

“Former Guantanamo detainee among 4 arrested in Spain, Morocco for Islamic State ties.” ("Former Guantanamo Detainee Among 4 Arrested In Spain, Morocco For Islamic State Ties,"The Associated Press, 2/23/2016)

  • “Spanish and Moroccan police on Tuesday arrested four suspected members of a jihadi cell that sought to recruit fighters for the Islamic State group, including one described as a former Guantanamo detainee who once fought with militants in Afghanistan. . . One of those detained in Ceuta was the former Guantanamo detainee who was not named by Spanish authorities but described as ‘a leader who was trained in handling weapons, explosives and in military tactics.’” ("4 Arrested In Spain, Morocco For IS Armed Group Ties," The Associated Press, 2/23/2016)

                                                                  

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Related Issues: Guantanamo Detention Facility, National Security, War on Terror, Al Qaeda