The US military last night resumed flights of al-Qaeda and Taliban captives from Afghanistan to a naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a senior US official said.
The official told
Reuters
the first flight of captives in more than two weeks had left Afghanistan late yesterday and was to arrive at the isolated prison camp late today. He did not say how many prisoners were on the flight.
Flights carrying up to 30 of what the Pentagon calls "detainees" were suspended on January 23rd by Defence Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld pending expansion of outdoor jail facilities at the American base.
A total of 324 captives are in US military custody in Afghanistan, and defence officials said the number of outdoor cells had been expanded to more than 300 at the Guantanamo base since the flights were suspended.
One hundred and fifty eight captives are already being held and interrogated at Guantanamo amid criticism they have not been treated properly under the Geneva Convention.
None has yet been charged with a crime, but Washington says the prisoners are being treated humanely.
President Bush and Mr Rumsfeld have rejected accusations from human rights groups and some Western governments that the captives are not being treated properly and should be declared prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention.