Guantanamo is a special place full of mystery. It holds some pretty dirty secrets, especially those involving the so-called ‘platinum prisoners’ or that band of high-value al-Qaeda detainees that include 15 alleged senior al-Qaeda captives. These highly confidential prisoners have been kept in the highly confidential Camp 7 within the confines of Guantanamo, and duly guarded by a special unit known only by its codename Task Force Platinum.
Torture is widely used in the prison camp. Most notable of this is ‘water-boarding.’ A prisoner is restrained on a board, his head lower than his feet, while water is poured on his face, triggering a gag reflex and choking him. The CIA and the Navy SEALS themselves could not stand it in their own training. Pressure from The International Red Cross, United Nations, and global media is forcing Guantanamo to close down. The head of the camp, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, has encouraged its closure without further delay because it has been damaging the image of the United States.
Guantanamo was put up precisely for the al-Qaeda captives. The prison camp has seen nearly 800 detainees since it opened in 2002. There are now just 200 detainees remaining but these include the high-profile alleged 9/11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. These remaining prisoners have had some amount of incriminating evidence that can have them convicted of war crimes.
Guantanamo was created precisely for the Bush administration’s War on Terror. One question remains: will the closing down of the highly-controversial Guantanamo be tantamount to the closure of the War on Terror, a grand propaganda design of the Bush administration? With Bush about to end his presidential authority, perhaps the War on Terror would be co-terminus – unless, of course, Obama is interested in perpetuating the biggest PR propaganda of the century. Afghanistan might just turn out a lot more ‘platinum prisoners’ to detain and torture.
Via BBC
