Did Obama know?

[jake-the-peg]

After coming in and making a big to-do about Guantanamo this now comes up:

http://news.bbc.co.uk...outh_asia/8674179.stm

A Black prison in Afghanistan where it seems as if the same old tricks are in use

We've been down the rights and wrongs before so lets not get drawn into that.

Do people think Obama knew about this or did the US military deliberately keep this from their commander in chief?

[R1Geezer]

I'd say he probably didn't know. Plausible deniability and all that. I doubt the leader of any nation knows every thing that's going on in the knooks and crannies.

[tamborine]

these 'bleaters' are captured in a war zone.....did they expect scones & tea

[rov1200]

I think the Americans made the mistake of flying prisoners a long way away from the war zone to Guantanamo. Now they are saddled with them as no other country wants them back.

At least having a prison in Afghanistan can after a period of time release then back into the community where they belong.

I would think Obama knows of its existance and has also come to the conclusion that to save American lives torture is the only option.

It was noticeable how that failed Taliban bomber in the US readily spilt the beans. Either they put something in his tea (a truth drug) or they resorted to tactics used in Guantanamo.

[youngmafbog]

I doubt he knows it all. He will be told what he needs to know, I cant see him micro managing the war somehow.

[jake-the-peg]

Hardly micro-managing a war.

If you want to put it in business terms it's a bit like a new Managing Director publically stating his firm will no longer sell cigarettes and a bunch of managers going "Do you think we should tell him about the cigars?"

[Seadragon]

I agree with Rov, I think Obama would know about this for the same reason that Rov cites - 'to save American lives torture is the only option.'

Obama has committed to 'humane treatment of all detainees wherever they may be' and he has promised to end torture but then on the other hand, state-backed assassination is regarded as illegal and immoral and yet under Obama enemy killings have increased although using drones, he actually ordered more attacks on terrorist targets in his first year in office than Bush did in two of his terms.

I mean the US military are saying that 80% of the prisoners are 'not hard terrorists'. That leaves the remainder 20%. 9 out of about 600 have come forward. If torture is the only option to extract information from them, then that is the reality of the situation of a war against terror - I think.

[jake-the-peg]

That is a dangerous position to be in when your troops are caught Seadragon!

BTW love Geezer's comment of being caught in a war zone!

That would be Afghans caught in Afghanistan then? designated a War zone by the fact that Western forces are there!

Fiendish cunning these orientals!