Obama Rejects Plan to Close Gitmo, Build Another on US Soil

Local Editor

The Pentagon's latest cost estimate for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba and building an alternative in the US comes in at more than half a million dollars.

According to US officials, the Pentagon estimated it would require around $600 million to close the prison and a onetime capital investment of as much as $350 million in construction costs.

An official explained that the proposal was considered and rejected during a November 10 meeting between President Barack Obama and War Secretary Ashton Carter.

Earlier in his 2008 presidential campaign, Obama promised to close the prison but has been blocked by Congress.

However, the White House has often argued that Guantanamo cannot be closed without moving some detainees to US soil.

Though Obama recently signed a new annual defense policy bill, Congress added restrictions barring detainee transfers from the prison.

Guantanamo prison was established in 2002 shortly after the 9/11 World Trade Center terror attack. It once housed 779 extra-legal detainees. Currently, 107 detainees are still held at Guantanamo.

Over the summer, in response to a congressional request, a small team of Pentagon officials was researching the most suitable place to house the remaining prisoners in the US, as well as the costs involved in doing so. The plan would reportedly include transferring nearly 50 detainees to US prisons for indefinite detention without trial.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team