Behind the Scenes at Guantanamo (BLOG/REPORT)

By Monica Villamizar

“This is the war that has marked our generation," the commander of the Guantanamo Base said as he spoke to dozens of soldiers ahead of a commemorative run to honour military members killed in the past 10 years since 9/11.

Some soldiers had pictures of the victims taped to their running shirts. The military base in Cuba, like other bases overseas, was on an increased security alert - on the second degree level.

Down the road from the base is one of the most notorious prison complex in the world, still populated by the prisoners of the war on terror. Kahlid Sheik Mohammed, the confessed mastermind of the twin towers’ attack and his 4 alleged co-conspirators are still awaiting trial here, locked up in a camp that no one is allowed to talk about, much less visit.

As me and cameraman Snorre Wik prepare to film a presentation inside one of the camps that can be filmed, under strict very strict regulations, the military minder accompanying us corrects me (he was listening to my on camera presentation). "They are not prisoners, they are detainees," he asserts in military tone.

I think to myself that Guantanamo must be one of the very few places in the world where someone can be “detained” for nearly 10 years. Is that not the equivalent of being a prisoner?

The minder is technically right, these 171 men under indefinite arrest are not your average prisoner, they are labeled “alien unlawful enemy combatants”, and this label is not gratuitous. It means, among other things, that when captured on the “battlefield” of the war on terror, the International Geneva Conventions do not apply.

“Prisoners of war” have access to lawyers, protection against torture, and special treatment if they are children. It also means that even today some of their rights will continue to be violated. We are told that today only 36 “detainees” can begin a process of going to court for the first time, to hear why they have been in Guantanamo, and hear the charges, ten years later.

President Obama promised to close down the camps 2 and a half years ago, but in a turn of events created a legal framework to keep the prison to continue working for a long while to come. The “detainees” conditions have largely improved since 9/11 and the military is always sure of showing members of the media the privileges of Guantanamo prison.

There are 4 doctors for 171 detainees, they can rent books, video call with their relatives, go to school and talk to each other (in the medium security facilities).

We are not told however, that in nearly 10 years, 6 have committed suicide, dozens have gone on hunger strikes and dozens more now show signs of dementia.

During countless military hearings that I attended I remember hearing accounts of bounty hunter’s buying prisoners for US military. It appears that some in Guantanamo had not even heard of al-Qaeda before landing in the Caribbean island.

Admiral Woods tells me that “these detainees are enemy combatants picked up in the war against terrorism, and the world is safer because of that”.

But it doesn't take knowledge of top secret material collected from interrogations on base to be able to make a case against Guantanamo, not only in legal terms, but in terms of an intelligence gathering project. 7 out of 10 detainees who were here in the past decade were released without the United States being able to prove they belonged to al-Qaeda.

Most of the men, according to Wikileaks, had either no connection to al-Qaeda at all or were far from the top echelons of the terrorist organization.

In fact, only 14 out of 779 people who have been through here seem to have been “big fish” within al-Qaeda, or operatives who knew the workings of the network and its plans.

Basically, in ten years, all the information extracted from Guantanamo has not led to the capture of the top al-Qaeda commanders. The Osama Bin Laden raid was possible thanks to a lead provided by the Pakistani intelligence agency, miles away from Cuba.

Originally published by Al Jazeera under Creative Commons Licensing 

Osama bin Laden Killed by US Forces (BLOG)

by Al-Jazeera Staff in Asia on May 2, 2011 

Leader of Al-Qaeda is dead following US operation in Pakistan.

(All times are local in Doha GMT+3)

Osama Bin Laden with senior al-Qaeda members Ayman Al-Zawahiri and Muhammad Atef 3:16pm - US team's mission was to kill, and not capture, Osama bin Laden - US security official tells Reuters.

3:08pm - An Indonesian Islamist group has hailed assassinated Osama bin Laden as a "martyr" who championed Islam against America. Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) spokesman Son Hadi told AFP:

If it's true Osama bin Laden is dead, then he died a martyr. He fought for Islam and he fought for the lands colonised by America. Al-Qaeda didn't die with him. Jihad will not be dampened just because he's dead because jihad is a command of the religion, not of individuals.

2:59pm - Saudi Arabia, the country of bin Laden's birth, hopes his killing will help the international fight against terrorism and stamp out the "misguided thought" behind it, the Saudi state news agency said.

"An official source expressed the hope of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia that the elimination of the leader of the terrorist al Qaeda organisation would be a step toward supporting international efforts aimed at fighting terrorism," the news agency said.

2:32pm - Iran says the death of bin Laden has removed "any excuse" for the United States and its allies for deploying forces in the Middle East under the pretext of fighting terrorism.

2:17pm - The Palestinian group Hamas condemned the killing of Osama bin Laden, saying that this was a "a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood".

Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, noted doctrinal differences between bin Laden's al-Qaeda and Hamas, but said:

We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior. We ask God to offer him mercy with the true believers and the martyrs.

1:57pm - The death of bin Laden was greeted with near-silence on Monday from Gulf Arab states, including his birthplace Saudi Arabia.

By mid-afternoon, the only official comment from the Arabian Peninsula came from Yemen, bin Laden's ancestral homeland, where an official speaking on condition of anonymity hoped the killing would "root out terrorism throughout the world".

Saudi Arabia's official news agency merely noted that the United States and Pakistan had announced bin Laden had been killed in a US military operation in Pakistan but gave no clue to Riyadh's thinking.

The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, attending a meeting of Gulf foreign ministers in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, all declined to comment on bin Laden's death.

1:50pm - NATO Secretary-General statement on Osama bin Laden

I congratulate President Barack Obama and all those who made the operation against Osama Bin Laden possible. This is a significant success for the security of NATO Allies and all the nations which have joined us in our efforts to combat the scourge of global terrorism to make the world a safer place for all of us.

NATO made clear that it considered the September 11 attacks on the United States an attack against all Allies. We remember the thousands of innocent lives lost to terrorist atrocities in so many of our nations, in Afghanistan, and around the world.

As terrorism continues to pose a direct threat to our security and international stability, international cooperation remains key and NATO is at the heart of that cooperation. NATO Allies and partners will continue their mission to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for extremism, but develops in peace and security. We will continue to stand for the values of freedom, democracy and humanity that Osama Bin Laden wanted to defeat.

1:38pm - Japan, a key US ally, welcomed the death of Osama bin Laden and said it would step up security at military bases in case of possible reprisal attacks. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said:

We welcome this significant progress in counter-terrorism measures, and I pay respect to the efforts by the officials concerned, including those in the United States and Pakistan. 

1:25pm - Libyan rebels, fighting to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi, broadly welcome the news of the death of al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden.

1:23pm - Afghanistan's president lauded bin Laden's death as a serious blow to terrorism and argued that the strike in Pakistan proves the real fight against terrorists is outside his country's borders. President Hamid Karzai told an assembly of district government officials in Kabul, as the hall erupted in applause:

This is a very important day. Maybe you have already heard on the television or on the radio that American forces have killed Osama bin Laden, delivering him his due punishment.

11:35am - Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden will have to answer to God for having killed many people and exploiting religion to spread hate, the Vatican said.

Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that while Christians "do not rejoice" over a death, it serves to remind them of "each person's responsibility before God and men".

Osama bin Laden, as everyone knows, had the grave responsibility of having spread division and hate among people, causing the deaths of an innumerable number of people and exploiting religion for these purposes.

11:30am - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told AFP in an interview that the US killing of Osama bin Laden, not far from the Pakistani capital, was a "great victory".

10:54am - Pakistan's foreign ministry says the death of bin Laden shows the resolve of his country and the world to battle terrorism. Pakistan's first official statement about the operation to kill bin Laden said Monday's raid was a US operation.

Bin Laden was killed an a luxury house in the town of Abbottabad not far from a Pakistani military academy, raising questions over whether Pakistani may have known of his whereabouts. The statement did not address those questions.

10:50am - Al Jazeera's Andrew Coombes took this picture outside the White House after the "Bin Laden is dead" announcement:

10:46am - After bin Laden was killed, senior administration officials said the body would be handled according to Islamic practice and tradition. That practice calls for the body to be buried within 24 hours, the official said.

Finding a country willing to accept the remains of the world's most wanted terrorist would have been difficult, the official said.

So the US decided to bury him at sea. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security matters, did not immediately say where that occurred. (Associated Press)

10:43am - Osama bin Laden's body was taken to Afghanistan and later buried at sea after he was slain in Pakistan. (New York Times)

10:37am - Britain has told its embassies to review their security for fear of reprisals following the killing of bin Laden, Foreign Secretary William Hague said. Hague told BBC Radio 4:

There may be parts of al-Qaeda that will try to show that they are still in business in the coming weeks as indeed some of them are.

I have already this morning asked our embassies to review their security, to make sure that vigilance is heightened and I think that will have to be our posture for some time to come.

10:22am - Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said that US soldiers should be withdrawn from Afghanistan and Iraq after the killing of Osama bin Laden. Essam al-Erian, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's governing body, told Reuters:

With Bin Laden's death, one of the reasons for which violence has been practised in the world has been removed. It is time for Obama to pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq and end the occupation of U.S. and Western forces around the world that have for so long harmed Muslim countries.

10:00am - The Western-backed Palestinian Authority said that the killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces was "good for the cause of peace". PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib said:

Getting rid of Bin Laden is good for the cause of peace worldwide but what counts is to overcome the discourse and the methods -- the violent methods -- that were created and encouraged by Bin Laden and others in the world. 

9:47am - Kenya's prime minister, Raila Odinga, thanks America and Pakistan for bin Laden's killing, saying that it was positive for Kenya.

Kenya's prime minister, Raila Odinga, thanks America and Pakistan for bin Laden's killing, saying that it was positive for Kenya.

9:34am - The killing of Osama bin Laden is "good news for all men in the world who think freely and are peaceful," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said.

9:20am - Said Agil Siradj, chairman of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, says bin Laden's death will help restore Islam's image as one of people, not violence.

But he believes terrorism will continue as long as there is injustice against Muslims.

9:00am - Al Jazeera's Tarek Bazley prepared this report:

8:46am - At least two Pakistani television stations broadcast pictures of what they called unconfirmed images of Osama bin Laden's bloodied face after the United States said he had been killed.

8:43am - The dollar rebounded from three-year lows and US crude slid more than 1 per cent on after news that Osama bin Laden was killed reduced the perception of security risks facing the United States.

8:37am - A leading US Muslim organisation welcomed  the killing of bin Laden, saying he was a threat to America and the world. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement:

We join our fellow citizens in welcoming the announcement that Osama bin Laden has been eliminated as a threat to our nation and the world through the actions of American military personnel.

As we have stated repeatedly since the 9/11 terror attacks, bin Laden never represented Muslims or Islam. In fact, in addition to the killing of thousands of Americans, he and Al-Qaeda caused the deaths of countless Muslims worldwide.

8:30am - India said the killing of Osama Bin Laden was a "victorious milestone" in the war against terrorism but urged the world to continue battling militancy, a statement from the foreign ministry said.

The world must not let down its united effort to overcome terrorism and eliminate the safe havens and sanctuaries that have been provided to terrorists in our own neighbourhood. The struggle must continue unabated.

8:16am - Thousands have flocked to Ground Zero to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden, alleged mastermind of the devastating September 11 attacks on New York nearly 10 years ago.

New York's police chief Raymond Kelly called the death of bin Laden a "welcome milestone" for the families of the 3,000 victims of the 2001 strikes by Al-Qaeda.

8:13am - Abbottabad is named after a colonial officer, so the 'Abbott' is the same as the Western pronunication of the name.

'abad'= aa-baa-d. Low 'a's, as in the British pronunciation of 'class'.

8:00am - This background on the operation to kill bin Laden was given to Al Jazeera by a senior US offiicial:

On June 2, 2009 the President signs a memo to Director Panetta stating “in order to ensure that we have expanded every effort, I direct you to provide me within 30 days a detailed operation plan for locating and bringing to justice Usama Bin Ladin…”

In the lead up to this operation, the President convened at least 9 meetings with his national security Principals. Principals met formally an additional five times themselves; and their Deputies met 7 times. This was in addition to countless briefings on the subject during the President’s intelligence briefings; and frequent consultations between the NSC, CIA, DoD and Joint Staff. The President was actively involved in reviewing all facets of the operation.

The President made the decision to undertake the operation at 8:20am on April 29th in the Diplomatic Room before he left for Alabama. In the Dip Room were Donilon, Daley, Brennan and McDonough. Donilon then prepared the formal orders and convened the Principals at 3pm to complete the planning.

May 1 -- staff worked pretty much all day today on the operation. Principals have been in the Situation Room since 1pm.

2:00pm the President met with the Principals to review final preparations.

3:32pm the President returned to the Sit Room for an additional briefing.

3:50pm the President first learns that UBL was tentatively identified.

7:01pm the President learns that there’s a “high probability” the HVT was UBL.

8:30pm the President receives further briefings.

7:00am - US president Barack Obama said Osama bin Laden, the most-wanted fugitive on the US list, was killed on Sunday in a US operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, about 150km north of Islamabad.Click here for more.

- Originally published on Al-Jazeera May 2, 2011 under Creative Commons Licensing