Obama’s #1 Regret? Not Closing Guantanamo On Day One
While Obama Says He Wishes He Closed Guantanamo On Day One, Here’s A Brief Reminder Of What Some Former Inmates Did Once They Got Out
Former Guantanamo Detainee Sheikh Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost Is Now An ISIS Operator In Pakistan. “A central figure in these dangerous wider developments is a soft-spoken scholar, journalist and poet, Sheikh Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost, who spent more than three years as a prisoner of the Americans at Guantanamo, then found himself imprisoned again by the Pakistanis. News reports in the region recently named his as the Islamic State-appointed governor or wali of Khorasan.” (Sami Yousafani, “ISIS Targets Afghanistan Just As U.S. Quits, The Daily Beast, 12/19/14)
As Of January 2015, 28.6 Percent Of Released Guantanamo Detainees Were Either Confirmed Or Suspected To Have Reengaged In Terrorist Activities. (Summary Of The Reengagement Of Detainees Formerly Held At Guantanamo Bay, Office Of The Director Of National Intelligence, 1/15/15)
The report also predicts that a number of detainees will return to the battlefield:
On December 19, 2009, The Obama Administration Released Taliban Fighter Abdul Hafiz From Guantanamo Bay. “The United States has freed a dozen men from Guantánamo – including one of the last captives sent there by the Bush administration – in a mission that dropped detainees off in Yemen, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa… Afghans sent home were identified as: Abdul Hafiz, Sharifullah, Mohamed Rahim and Mohammed Hashim.” (Carol Rosenberg, “Guantánamo Detention Census Drops To 198,” The Miami Herald, 12/19/09)
· Upon Release, Hafiz Returned To Fight With Taliban Forces In Afghanistan, Overseeing The Terrorist Organization’s Kidnap And Ransom Activities. “In the last three days, other news outlets, citing intelligence officials, also have reported the likelihood that Hafiz, who was released from the Guantánamo Bay prison in December, has returned to the fight in Afghanistan. News reports state he is believed to be overseeing the Taliban’s kidnapping and ransom activities.” (Susan Crabtree, “Republicans To Obama: No Detainee Transfers To Afghanistan,” The Hill, 3/30/10)
Military Leaders And Members Of Obama’s Cabinet Have Warned Of The Dangers Of Releasing Suspected Terrorists Held At Guantanamo
An American General In Afghanistan “Expressed Reservations” About The Repatriation Of Four Afghanis From Guantanamo To Their Home Country. “The four were cleared in a 2009-10 interagency review but earlier this year a U.S. general based in Afghanistan had expressed reservations about the return, according to two administration officials who had knowledge of the process but aren’t allowed talk about it.” (Carol Rosenberg, “Four Afghans Returned Home From Guantanamo,” The Miami Herald, 12/20/14)
Then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel In 2014: “Well, We Know That Some Of The Detainees That Have Come Out Of Guantanamo Have Gone Back To The Fight, To The Battlefield. We’re Aware Of That.” (Chuck Hagel, Press Conference With Gen. Martin Dempsey, The Pentagon, 10/30/14)
Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s “Concerns About The Security Risk Posed By The Release Of Detainees” Helped Lead To His Dismissal By Obama. “In the view of White House officials, Mr. Hagel has helped to thwart Mr. Obama’s pledge to close Guantánamo with his concerns about the security risks posed by the release of detainees. He recently pulled back from plans to repatriate four Afghans who had been approved for transfer, a decision that annoyed Ms. Rice, officials said.” (Helene Cooper, “Hagel Resigns Under Pressure As Global Crises Test Pentagon,” The New York Times, 11/24/14)
