Guantanamo Bay prison 'will not be closed by Barack Obama's January deadline'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...

An unnamed White House told ABC that "not every" detainee will be removed in time, though it is hoped the numbers will "dwindle substantially" from the current 220.

There has been a growing assumption that the administration would not meet its target given the difficulties faced in relocating inmates from the controversial detention centre at the US naval base in Cuba. The Obama administration is said to now regret its earlier decision to proclaim it would close the facility within a year of the president taking office.

According to the Washington Post, Greg Craig, the chief White House legal adviser to the president who strongly pushed setting a firm date, will be found a new job before long. He was said to be no longer in charge of the issue.

Mr Obama signed the executive order closing Guantanamo two days after his Jan 20 inauguration, aiming to draw a firm line under the "war on terror" regime of George W Bush, who opened the jail in early 2002 to house terror suspects.

But only a dozen detainees have been relocated to third countries or repatriated, even though the majority of those remaining are no longer regarded as a threat by the Americans.

After years of criticising the prison for not matching international law, US allies are reluctant to take in detainees, while Washington in turn is prevented from sending prisoners home to countries that may torture them.

Plans to move detainees to the US have met an outbreak of nimbyism from the public and many in Congress.

Feds: 3 Guantanamo detainees transferred to Ireland, Yemen

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Three detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba have been transferred to Ireland and Yemen, the U.S. Justice Department said on Saturday.

Alla Ali Bin Ali Ahmed, a native of Yemen, has been transferred to the government of Yemen. A federal court in May ruled that Ahmed may no longer be detained and ordered him released from detention.

The government of Ireland got the two other transfers. Their identities were withheld “for security and privacy reasons” after a request from the Irish government.

The United States has worked with the governments “to ensure the transfers take place under appropriate security measures and will continue to consult with these governments regarding these detainees.” The Justice Department also said the detainees were approved for transfer after an interagency organization called the Guantanamo Review Task Force performed “a comprehensive review” of the cases.

Since 2002, more than 550 detainees have departed Guantanamo for other countries.