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Trump Keeps His Promise, Signs Executive Order To Keep Guantanamo Bay Open
Protests demanding release of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. (Win McNamee via Getty Images)
Following up on his election promise, United States (US) President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to keep open the controversial prison facility at Guantanamo Bay, CNBC reported.
Trump made the announcement in the annual State of the Union address yesterday (30 January).
Guantanamo Bay is a contentious issue in the US, with former President Barak Obama favouring its closure "as soon as practicable". Trump during his presidency bid had come hard on the Obama-era policy and had campaigned to keep it open proclaiming that he wanted to "load it up with some bad dudes".
The detention facility, located inside a US military base in Cuba, was set up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the US and is used to detain terrorists plotting to attack US interests at home and in battlefields. Several human rights groups have campaigned against the torture being meted out to the terrorists in the facility with public opinion divided over it’s continued operation.
"Terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals are evil. When possible, we annihilate them," Trump said in his address.
"In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds of dangerous terrorists, only to meet them again on the battlefield — including the ISIS leader, al-Baghdadi", he added.
The facility has held more than 700 prisoners till now - and still continues to hold forty one detainees, with most being transferred and released during the Obama years. Trump had recently tweeted his resolve to allow no more releases from the facility, to keep the combatants from returning to fight the US.
The White House, in a statement, confirmed the order to resist closing the facility and to send more detainees to the facility is required.
"I am asking Congress to ensure that in the fight against ISIS and al Qaeda we continue to have all necessary power to detain terrorists wherever we chase them down, wherever we find them. And In many cases for them it will now be Guantánamo bay," Trump said, signalling his resolve for more transfers to the prison in future.
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