Trump Orders Continued Operation of Guantanamo Detention Facility

The White House states that the President of the United States has issued an executive order to continue the operation of the highly secure Guantanamo detention facility in Cuba. The statement from the White House was released simultaneously with Donald Trump's annual speech to Congress, known as the "State of the Union" address. The order to continue the operation of Guantanamo is contrary to the policy of former President Barack Obama, who had promised during his election campaigns to end the activities of this detention facility. Barack Obama issued an executive order in 2009 stating that the facility "should be closed at the earliest opportunity that is feasible." This order faced opposition in the United States Congress. In recent years, hundreds of detainees from Guantanamo Bay, including many who were captured following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, have been transferred to other locations. Currently, 41 individuals are held at Guantanamo, among them Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, known for planning the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York. Sheikh Mohammed was captured in March 2003. After his capture, he issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attacks in New York, the deadly bombing in Bali, Indonesia, and the beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan. George W. Bush, the then-President of the United States, announced in 2006 the transfer of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and 13 of his accomplices to Guantanamo. Current President Donald Trump promised during his election campaign to continue the operation of Guantanamo and even send more individuals there.