MESOPOTAMIA NEWS SPECIAL : BEST PLACE ! – U.S. Says Guantanamo an Option for ISIS Foreign Fighters / THE SOUFAN GROUP
7 Feb 219 – Holding ISIS suspects at Guantanamo is still a viable option, according to Trump administration officials. The remarks came days after deputy State Department spokesman Robert Palladino issued a statement on Monday calling on nations to repatriate and prosecute the estimated 700 foreign fighters currently being held in Syria by the U.S- backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces. The remarks also came two weeks after Republican Tom Cotton, John Cornyn, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio wrote to President Donald Trump urging him to “consider transferring the worst of these Islamic State fighters to the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, where they will face justice.”
At the Pentagon, Navy Cmdr. Candice Tresch, Spokeswoman for Detainee Policy, said Guantanamo detention remains an alternative to repatriation of captives held by the SDF. For those who cannot be repatriated, she said, “President Trump has made clear that [Guantanamo] is one of the options that may be considered if appropriate.” A State Department statement echoed her remarks. “The administration’s National Strategy for Counterterrorism makes very clear that Law of Armed Conflict detention, including at Guantanamo, remains an important and effective counterterrorism tool.”