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Hunger
Strike By Detainees Waning
U.S.
NAVAL BASE - GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, March 7 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A
hunger strike by detainees at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay is petering
out, a top U.S. commander said Wednesday.
"Right
now there are three hardliners who have not eaten since March 1," General
Michael Lehnert, commander of the task force that handles the 300 prisoners
captured in Afghanistan and brought to the base.
"This
morning 51 detainees chose not to eat, 46 for lunch," Lehnert continued.
"That number has been dropping with each meal."
As
many as 91 detainees took part in a hunger strike Sunday.
Eighteen
people had to be fed intravenously due to dehydration, but the general said most
of them had accepted the treatment voluntarily.
"We
have what I would refer to as a rolling hunger strike," said Lehnert.
"Essentially, people take turns not eating."
The
protest was triggered a week ago when a prison guard, enforcing camp security
rules, removed an improvised turban made out of bedsheets from an inmate for use
during prayers. But prisoners have told their captors their underlying concern
is uncertainty about their fate.
Lehnert
confirmed these reports, saying the underlying complaint of the strikers was not
a religious one.
"They
want to know what will happen to them," he said. "I only tell them in
the most general terms since details of repatriation or trials or the length of
time they will be here have not been decided."
U.S.
officials say they are determining whether and how to prosecute the 300 men held
at the naval base. Those not tried by a military tribunal could be prosecuted in
U.S. courts, returned to their home countries for prosecution, released
outright, or held indefinitely, news agencies reported.
The
general said that some of the detainees were extremely sophisticated and asked
if the media had reported their hunger strike.
"Our
approach is to be patient and avoid over reaction," he said.
Lehnert
said he anticipated the arrival of more detainees to Guantanamo Bay as a result
of "Operation Anaconda" currently under way in eastern Afghanistan.
As
many as 408 additional cells are being built at Camp X-Ray, according to the
general.
They
are expected to be completed by April 12.
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