American Leadership and Obama's Guantanamo Problem

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Human Events:

We are reminded once again of the Obama administration’s thorny problem regarding detainees in the War on Terrorism. First, in Afghanistan, NATO officials halted the hand-over of prisoners to Afghan custody following a United Nations report on torture and abuse in Afghan prisons.

A few days earlier it was reported that the Iraqi government released Muhammad Awwad Ahmadan, an insurgent sniper responsible for killing two U.S. Marines, after only five years in prison, citing “lack of evidence.” On Monday, the New York Times' reported on the acrimonious internal debate within the administration over detainee policy.[3]

The basic issue is clear: In Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the region, it is imperative for military leaders to prevent unlawful enemy combatants from returning to the battlefield where they are most likely to kill again, not only to protect U.S. forces but because their targets are usually civilians, police stations and municipal buildings. How to approach the issue is the policy conundrum.

Despite serious missteps in the past, the U.S. military operates a highly professional preventive-detention program, not only at Guantanamo Bay but also in Iraq and in Afghanistan. However, unless there is some amendment to the U.S.-Iraq security agreement, the U.S. will depart on Dec. 31, 2011, and thousands of killers will be turned over to Iraqi control … and many will simply be released as Ahmadan was. This is the concern the U.S. has over another prisoner held in Iraq, Lebanese national Ali Musa Daqduq, a Hezbollah agent on the payroll of Iran’s intelligence service implicated in the death of five U.S. servicemen.[4]