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The US detention centre in Guantanamo has about 270 prisoners. Because of the nature of the centre, exact numbers are hard to get but these are reliable estimates.
The trouble for the US, according to Defence Secretary Robert Gates, is that many of those still incarcerated there are unable to return home as their own countries either do not want them or they present a high risk of escape. This is nonsense.
Gates is trying to make it look as if the US wants to do the right thing but is unable to. Guantanamo should be closed down and those inside it released, period.
After six years the camp has served no purpose other than to weaken America's international standing. Inmates have been denied justice and tortured. The camp is a stain on America's reputation. But what if there were actual terrorists there?
Good question and there is a good answer. Let them stand trial in an open court with competent legal teams both prosecuting and defending.
Saying that countries refuse to take their own citizens seems to take the onus away from the White House and Pentagon. But no one else is to blame for the Guantanamo catastrophe.
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