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During the first six months of 2016, two militants who had been released from the detention facility Guantanamo Bay returned to their former organizations to continue fighting for their “cause.”
In an official report released earlier this week, officials in Washington stated that a total of nine people freed from Gitmo under President Barack Obama’s watch had rejoined militant groups.
The report, issued by the Office of Director of National Intelligence, said the number of militants freed by the Obama administration whom U.S. agencies “suspect” of having returned to action had dropped to 11 from 12 between January and July, according to Reuters.
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That was still a shocking number of suspected “backsliders.”
According to an official familiar with the most up-to-date statistics, the number dropped because a freed detainee previously categorized as “suspected” of having returned to the battlefield was recently re-classified as “confirmed” to have returned.
The United States opened the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba the year after the Sept. 11, attacks. The aim of the facility was to hold what it described as “foreign terrorism suspects.” Most of the detainees held there have not been charged tried for more than a decade, which became a focal point for Obama’s cabinet.
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In the face of international condemnation over Gitmo, Obama hoped to be able to close the prison during his first year in office. His plan, rolled out in February, aimed to shut down the prison against the wishes of many Republican lawmakers and even some Democrats who feared it would be an irresponsible move.
It turns out that the critics were right. Of the 161 prisoners released from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility since 2009, at least seven have been confirmed to have returned to the battlefield and now 11 others were suspected of having done so.
Batting .888 would be amazing in Major League Baseball, but it’s pathetic when it comes to keeping Americans safe.
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