4 ex-Gitmo prisoners handed over to Iraqis

[unhappycamper]

4 ex-Gitmo prisoners handed over to Iraqis
By Hadeel Al-Shalchi - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Feb 9, 2009 13:10:14 EST

BAGHDAD — Four Iraqi prisoners have been transferred from the U.S. military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Iraqi custody, two senior Iraqi security officials said Monday.

The officials said the men had been arrested in Afghanistan, then transferred to Guantanamo, before being released to the Iraqis for questioning. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, did not give a timeframe for their arrests or release.

“We have interrogated four Iraqi men who are now in our custody,” one of the officials said, adding the detainees included a Shiite from Basra. He said one more Iraqi citizen remains at the U.S. naval base and was seeking refugee status in the United States.

The sister of one of the prisoners, Hassan Abdul-Hadi al-Jawhar, said the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed her brother’s release. The Red Cross said it would not comment on individual cases.

President Barack Obama has ordered the detention center to be closed within a year as part of his overhaul of U.S. national security policy. An estimated 245 men are being held; most of them have been detained for years without being charged.

Rest of article: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/02/ap_gitmo_prisonertransfer_020909/%2e

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. Sheesh! About time! nt