US: The US plans to release this week 12 to 15 people taken prisoner in Afghanistan and detained at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a US defence official said yesterday.
The official, who asked not to be identified, said those to be released had no intelligence value or posed no threat. They might include some juveniles.
News of the release followed the disclosure that the Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, wrote to the Defence Secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, on April 14th to complain about the mishandling of the detainees at Guantanamo, warning that it undercut co-operation on the war on terrorism.
Asked whether the release was in response to the letter, the defence official said it "has absolutely nothing to do with it. It's a complete coincidence."
US News and World Report, which first reported on the Powell letter, said the secretary noted that the military was holding a 13-year-old, a 14-year-old, two 15-year-olds, a 16-year-old, an 88-year-old and a 98-year-old.
The US defence official said most of the prisoners being released were Afghans. He said all would be flown back to Afghanistan, where they will be turned over to Afghan authorities. - (AFP)