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OPINION: And we wonder why this war drags on and on...especially when this administration supported the Muslim Brotherhood during Egypt's 'arab spring' cum Syrian rebels cum ISIS...
REPORT: "I am absolutely persuaded, as are my top intelligence and military advisers, that Guantánamo is used as a recruitment tool for organizations like ISIS," Obama said, endeavoring to create a national security rationale for closing the detention facility. "And if we want to fight them, then we can't give them these kinds of excuses."
This isn't true. There is virtually no evidence that jihadists use Guantánamo as a significant recruiting tool, and national security experts from across the political spectrum who have tested the claim have judged it false.
He wasn't finished. "Keep in mind that between myself and the Bush administration hundreds of people have been released and the recidivism rate—we anticipate, we assume that there are going to be—out of four, five, six hundred people that get released—a handful of them are going to be embittered and still engaging in anti-U.S. activities and trying to link up potentially with their old organizations," Obama said.
That wasn't true. When Obama made this claim, 653 detainees had been released. Of that group, 196 had been confirmed (117) or suspected (79) of returning to jihadist activity upon their release. Those numbers came from the office of the director of national intelligence and represent the U.S. government's official count of Guantánamo recidivism. Nearly one-in-three former detainees returned to the fight, not a "handful," as the president suggested.
REPORT: "I am absolutely persuaded, as are my top intelligence and military advisers, that Guantánamo is used as a recruitment tool for organizations like ISIS," Obama said, endeavoring to create a national security rationale for closing the detention facility. "And if we want to fight them, then we can't give them these kinds of excuses."
This isn't true. There is virtually no evidence that jihadists use Guantánamo as a significant recruiting tool, and national security experts from across the political spectrum who have tested the claim have judged it false.
He wasn't finished. "Keep in mind that between myself and the Bush administration hundreds of people have been released and the recidivism rate—we anticipate, we assume that there are going to be—out of four, five, six hundred people that get released—a handful of them are going to be embittered and still engaging in anti-U.S. activities and trying to link up potentially with their old organizations," Obama said.
That wasn't true. When Obama made this claim, 653 detainees had been released. Of that group, 196 had been confirmed (117) or suspected (79) of returning to jihadist activity upon their release. Those numbers came from the office of the director of national intelligence and represent the U.S. government's official count of Guantánamo recidivism. Nearly one-in-three former detainees returned to the fight, not a "handful," as the president suggested.
The Disgraceful Gitmo Exodus
Posted from weeklystandard.com
ISIS
War on Terror
Warfare
Terrorism
Foreign Policy
Edited 8 y ago
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 7
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The POTUS has been finding out political promises backfire. ISIL took MOSUL due to us leaving g Iraq due to POTUS promise. Now this!
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CPO Andy Carrillo, MS
LTC (Join to see) I wonder what it would feel like to have been an 'operator' capturing these POS's only to see them returned back to the field? Perhaps a pro would merely shrug his shoulders and accept that his and his family's sacrifices and threats to future servicemen and women mean squat.
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CPT Pedro Meza
CPO Andy Carrillo, MS - There are two kinds of operators one that captures because of the challenge of the capture followed has a warriors ethos, and those that you suggest. The real issue is that they are prisoners of war vs detainees. I for one if I was in their shoes would do the same, so I expect them to resume the fight.
Operators and soldiers when they face them will have to make the call to kill them or keep them alive to face the same fate; a cycle can only be broken when they are seen and treated as POW or killed.
Operators and soldiers when they face them will have to make the call to kill them or keep them alive to face the same fate; a cycle can only be broken when they are seen and treated as POW or killed.
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CPT Pedro Meza
Old Friend do you think that Major Soltis family would agree with you, we left Iraq because there was no need for us to stay. The fact that ISIS/ISISL/DAESH rose up was because we failed in standing up an Iraq government that represented both Zuni and Shia. Remember that I helped to train people from the there in the 80's.
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SFC Mark Merino
We lost a lot of good people in Mosul and a huge chunk of my life. I even smuggled pieces of a 107mm rocket from that crappola of a city in my body. Back in the day the DFAC as suicide bombed and a lot of blood was shed per that town.ill go back and take it back myself if I have to.
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We really need to have a serious discussion about the disposition of captives in the War on Terror. Are terrorists criminals? Actually, I have been arguing sometime that the laws regarding piracy easily could be applied to the issue. Pirates are, essentially, without a state as are terrorists. Such laws provide for the execution of pirates when they are captured. Why not the same for terrorists?
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CPT Jack Durish
Pirates, those who survived the battle that ended their career, were most often brought back to port for hanging where the spectacle would serve better the purpose of dissuading others. In the case of Islamic terrorists, I would entertain a spectacle that would play on their religious beliefs, one that would be more likely to strike fear into their hearts. Islam is, after all, a death cult, and death alone holds no particular fear for them. However, there are forms of death that they believe would preclude attainment of their heavenly reward. Now, before anyone reminds me of our aversion to cruel and unusual punishments, let me say that, frankly, I don't give a damn
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CPT Pedro Meza
Because these so called terrorist were Taliban fighters and as well as Al Qaeda fighters, so the issue is if caught in the battle field they are POW's. What we demand for our fighters we need to apply to their fighters.
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CPT Jack Durish
CPT Pedro Meza - How many "prisoner exchanges" have there been with the Taliban or any other terrorist organization. I thought that we didn't negotiate with terrorists?
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CPT Pedro Meza
CPT Jack Durish - The Taliban is made up of men from the Pashto tribe. Treat them as Pashto which is what we demand from those that may capture one of our fighters.
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MCPO Roger Collins
CPT Pedro Meza - This statement is totally repugnant. I seriously doubt any American military professionals consider themselves equivalent to terrorists that murdered over 3000 of our citizens in a cowardly attack similar to Pearl Harbor.
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CPT Pedro Meza
MCPO Roger Collins - You like to generalize but had you confronted one of these fighters in Afghanistan the first thing you would have noticed was his sandals and not much of the fighters that you claim are terrorist. The difference between us is that I confronted them with out their weapons which meant you can not shoot them and also when they shot at us and we shot back. So did you think of re-enlisting back in 2001, since you have such strong opinion, you are a military professional?
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MCPO Roger Collins
CPT Pedro Meza - Anecdotes vs law (CFR), I'll go with law. No, I didn't reenlist in 2001, I retired after a career of 21 years on disability. Yes, I was a military professional, that is why I was promoted to a rank 3% of the Navy achieved at that time. So, how professional were you?
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