December 19, 2008
Posted: December 19th, 2008 08:30 AM ET
A detainee is seen through a fence in July at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
A detainee is seen through a fence in July at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked Pentagon staff to draw up plans for shutting the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a Pentagon spokesman said.

The camp holds about 250 suspected terrorists, down from a peak of roughly 750 men from 40 countries.

It houses several top al Qaeda figures, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - the confessed architect of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Gates "has asked his team for a proposal on how to shut it down, what would be required specifically to close it and move the detainees from that facility, while at the same time, of course, ensuring that we protect the American people [from] some very dangerous characters," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said Thursday.

Morrell described it as a contingency plan in case the new administration wants to take it up early in the new year.

President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to close the camp at Guantanamo but hasn't set a specific timetable. Gates will continue as defense secretary when Obama takes office.

Full story

Filed under: Barack Obama • Guantanamo Bay • Obama transition • Robert Gates


arc, Lugano CH   December 19th, 2008 1:38 pm ET

Sue December 19th, 2008 12:17 pm ET
I suggest the military load them all onto a big drone aircraft and crash them at sea. Those are nasty, depraved military from muslim guerilla units who have fought against are country. They were taken captive on the battlefield. After they were questioned, they should have been beheaded, just like they have done to our American boys they captured. Oh, but that is in opposition to what our new muslim leader thinks??
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sue, you are the most uneducated, sad, pathetic and the truest definition of 'Country First'. I hope that CNN readers/viewers around the world can see the depth of your ignorance, bigotry and stupidity. You are truly the intellectual equivalent of raw sewage.

Loyal Democrat in MD   December 19th, 2008 1:32 pm ET

@Sue
Such hatered you are spewing! Let's give them ALL a chance at justice in our US court system. We aren't barbarians, are we???????

AMEN to Laverne & Dieter from Denver

rayster   December 19th, 2008 1:28 pm ET

Sue..... You have no limits to your stupidity.
The world see the USA because of thinking like yours. You sure don't know the meaning of Christmas with this blubber. Have a good holiday enyway

Ken in NC   December 19th, 2008 1:26 pm ET

The al Qaeda detainees at Guantanamo should be moved to high security prisons here in the States and held for trial. In the interest of safety and security for the guards at Guantanamo, the prisoners should be moved to the beach there and placed in the water and pointed in the direction of the USA and allowed to swim until they reach the USA. Guards should monitor their progress until they reach US soil.

rob in austin   December 19th, 2008 1:26 pm ET

oh sue, get over your self with that "muslim leader" comment. it should be closed for its human rights issues and that we have our prisoners head in another country. we probably lease the land and pay for it, but it is still cuba.

denisr   December 19th, 2008 1:18 pm ET

Sue,
I heard the story of one of the gitmo prisoners a couple of years ago. It seems the man was a taxi driver and his car broke down in Baghdad. He and his cousin were trying to fix his car when he was arrested and sent to gitmo. He has never had a trial, why? Do you and the bushies not want the American public to know they are holding and torturing innocent people? Don’t give these people trials to see if they are guilty, just behead them. It is amazing how mean a lot of Americans are.
Cheney just admitted he authorized water boarding of the prisoners. Do you know that it has been proven torture doesn’t work, tortured people will just tell you anything to get you to stop? The information can’t be trusted, it is useless. I guess Cheney just wanted to do it for entertainment. At the end of WW II, we hung Japanese war criminals for water boarding our POW’s; the Courts said it was torture. Do you think we should hang Cheney or just behead him? No need for a trial, he admitted it on national TV. The bushies are claiming they have protected us, no more attacks on the Country. Why would the terrorist have to attack us? Bush put our American citizens (Soldiers) on their front doorsteps. They have no need to come here, they can kill all the Americans they want in Iraq and Afghanistan, and bush will send more.
If our Government ever gets straightened out it will take decades to undo all the harm we have done overseas.
God Bless America, Please.

Mickey, New York   December 19th, 2008 1:15 pm ET

I'm hoping they leave it open for Bush & Co... they can use it as their holiday retreat! The waterboarding feature can be like a fun park for them.

Will18E   December 19th, 2008 1:07 pm ET

Fix the flaws, and keep it open.

Jeff   December 19th, 2008 12:54 pm ET

Can't wait to see how this sorry chapter in US history is portrayed to my grandchildren some day. Un-American!

rob   December 19th, 2008 12:49 pm ET

Congrats to the Dem party for making at least 53% of the american believe that George Bush is more dangerous than the terrorists who want us all dead. If they werent in Gitmo they would be busy planning the next attack to kill as many innocent americans as they could. If our country was like 95% of the rest of the world, these people in Gitmo would have been horribly tortured and when they were done they would simply diappear.

Lets see what these morons will do with these terrorists, I bet no one will want them in a jail in their community. This will be fun to watch.

Anonymous   December 19th, 2008 12:28 pm ET

Placed the prisoners in public prisons with the general population.
Let's see what happens.

Sue   December 19th, 2008 12:17 pm ET

I suggest the military load them all onto a big drone aircraft and crash them at sea. Those are nasty, depraved military from muslim guerilla units who have fought against are country. They were taken captive on the battlefield. After they were questioned, they should have been beheaded, just like they have done to our American boys they captured. Oh, but that is in opposition to what our new muslim leader thinks??

Dieter Zerressen, Denver, CO   December 19th, 2008 12:15 pm ET

Keep it open to lock up the Bush crowd. Please include Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Rice, Gonzales, Cheney and Barney.

Laverne   December 19th, 2008 12:07 pm ET

Thank God for Barack Obama!

James, Ho. TX   December 19th, 2008 11:50 am ET

Guantanamo, How is it that the U.S. controls property in Cuba? Does the U.S. lease this property from Cuba?
And by the way Sect. Gates, the really dangerous are leaving on Jan. 20th !

Loyal Democrat in MD   December 19th, 2008 11:41 am ET

THANK GOD! It can't be soon enough!!

BB   December 19th, 2008 11:31 am ET

Put them in top security prisons somewhere and close down asap. It's a disgrace to the American justice system.

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