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US Official: As War On Terror Continues, More Detainees Expected
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| U.S. Marines escort a
detainee for questioning at camp X-Ray in Guantanamo |
GUANTANAMO
BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba, Feb 16 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - U.S. officials
said Friday that "Camp X-Ray" -- the U.S. military installation
detaining 300 Afghanis -- has reached its capacity and will receive no more
inmates in the immediate future.
"We
are effectively at our capacity," Lieutenant Colonel Bill Costello said.
The Miami-based U.S. Southern Command said a more permanent prison called Radio
Range is to be on another portion of this isolated U.S. naval base, eventually
allowing the military to house as many as 2,000 prisoners.
"As
the global war on terror progresses, certainly there could be more detainees
that come into U.S. custody," Costello said.
On
Wednesday, U.S. daily newspaper, St. Petersburg Times quoted Costello saying
that some of the detainees at this American base are not Muslim but Christian.
He described inmates as members of a "global community" in some cases
sympathetic to groups other than the Taliban or al-Qaeda.
"I
personally did not expect . . . some of the nations that are represented in Camp
X-Ray," Costello said, the paper reported.
"Since
the first prisoners arrived from Afghanistan just over a month ago, the number
of nationalities represented has risen from a handful to at least 26, with a
dozen or more languages and dialects spoken.
"The
military is holding 254 men at the naval base in eastern Cuba. A handful of
translators flown in to help interrogate the detainees and convey their needs
has expanded to about two dozen linguists.
"U.S.
officials have not named all the countries of origin, citing security concerns
and requests from governments," St. Petersburg Times said.
Another
spokesman, Maj. Stephen Cox, said earlier that there were "other
religions" in addition to the Muslim faith, implying at least three
represented at Camp X-ray, reported the paper.
In
the most detailed breakdown, a senior Pentagon official said last week that of
the 158 detainees at the camp, were 50 Saudis, about 30 Yemenis, about 25
Pakistanis, eight Algerians, three Britons and small numbers from Egypt,
Australia, France, Russia, Belgium, Sweden and other countries.
The
hastily built temporary detention camp now has 320 cells, said the paper adding
that Army Col. Terry Carrico said that the, "inn is almost full".
On
Sunday, a U.S. military official said the number of detainees at Camp X-Ray
whose allegiance had not been established was larger than the number determined
to be members of the Taliban or al-Qaeda members.
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