WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Saudi national released from U.S. detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in September 2007 is believed to be a key leader in al Qaeda's operations in Yemen, according to a U.S. counterterrorism official. Ali al-Shiri was released in 2007 from the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Ali al-Shiri was released in 2007 from the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Defense Department recently estimated that more than 60 terrorists released from Guantanamo may have returned to the battlefield. According to the counterterrorism official, freed detainee Ali al-Shiri traveled to Yemen after being released to Saudi Arabia and may have been involved in recent al Qaeda attacks in Yemen, including a car bombing outside the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa last year that killed nearly a dozen people. "He is one of a handful of al Qaeda deputies in Yemen," the official said. "He is one of the top terrorists." His title is deputy and senior operations commander, the source said. According to the magazine Sada al-Malahem, or The Echo of the Epics, published by al Qaeda in Yemen, al-Shiri attended a media session in which Yemen commander Abu Baseer was interviewed. The magazine identified al-Shiri as Baseer's deputy commander and quoted Baseer as announcing that al Qaeda's operations in Yemen and Saudi Arabia have been combined to become al Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula. The magazine noted that al-Shiri was released from Guantanamo more than 10 months ago. He fled a Saudi jihadi re-education program, where he went after his release, a Saudi source told CNN's Nic Robertson. President Obama on Thursday signed an order mandating that the Guantanamo Bay prison be closed within the year. What to do with the detainees has been a hotly debated topic. The issue of freed detainees engaging in terrorism is one concern. Another is housing them in prisons inside the United States. Rep. Bill Young, R-Florida, said he has "quite a bit of anxiety" about the possibility of transferring detainees to U.S. facilities. "Number one, they're dangerous," Young said. "Secondly, once they become present in the United States, what is their legal status? What is their constitutional status? I worry about that, because I don't want them to have the same constitutional rights that you and I have. They're our enemy." Obama's decision to close the Guantanamo facility received immediate backing from his general election opponent, Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain. McCain, in a joint statement with South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, said he supported Obama's decision to "begin a process that will, we hope, lead to the resolution of all cases of Guantanamo detainees." But Thursday night on CNN's "Larry King Live," McCain said the new president may have been hasty in the decision and should have taken the time to consider everything associated with closing the camp before forcing himself into a timetable. Specifically, McCain said he thought Obama needed to consider what would happen to the prisoners held at Guantanamo before ordering the facility to be closed. "So, the easy part, in all due respect, is to say we're going to close Guantanamo," McCain said. "Then I think I would have said where they were going to be taken. Because you're going to run into a NIMBY [not in my backyard] problem here in the United States of America." Asked about that issue Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, "We have developed some options in terms of how many we think could be returned to other countries to take them. That diplomatic initiative has not started. That will await work in carrying out the executive order." "We have identified a number of possible prisons here in the United States" that could take the detainees. However, Gates added, "I've heard from members of Congress [representing] where all those prisons are located. Their enthusiasm is limited."
Obama is finding it is much easier to criticize Geroge Bush than come up with responsible alternatives. Putting these people in US prisons is idiotic. Bringing them into the US is irresponsible. Letting them go free is irresponsible. Returning them to their native lands will result in most of them being released and a few being tortured. If I'm a US soldier in Afghanistan or Iraq, I'm not going to want to be bringing in prisoners who will one day be suing me with ACLU attorneys for using excessive force or violating their "rights."
John McCain and his mini-me, Lindsay Graham, show again why they are the two biggest tools in the republican party.
Hey, now that we are actually attacking their strongholds, etc...fuck 'em...let them ALL back out to return to their flock... That way we can blow their asses to hell without having to worry about all this Gitmo/legal system crap. This war has been a dog and pony show created to run up the spnding to keep government contracts to corporations flowing....the war wasn't meant to actually accomplish anything thus far....I am impressed that Obama ordered these strikes...hopefully we will root them out soon enough now that our hands aren't so tied. You can't fuck with the US military, it's just that we have had out hands tied all these all these years by the corrupt fucks in Washington. Let's kick some ass.
I dunno man, there is a lot of very strong competition for that label. Interesting that just as the republican party has lost it's way and is lost in the woods, so is the country.
They all need to die. Let's just be glad that it's starting to happen. I don't care if Hitler, Mao, Shaka Zulu, or whoever rises from dead and leads the US military, as long as we are killing those fucks, I am happy.
Barack Obama is also a Muslim. Maybe Obama is an Al-Qaeda Spy/operative now controlling USA president position. Barack Obama's home state Chicago is famous for corruption. Few days back somebody was trying to sell Obama's vacant senator position. There is high possibility Barack Obama bribed his way to USA presidency. Barack Obama is the "biggest fool" in this world. It is highly surprising how did Obama became USA President.
Title should read 'one of the few, dangerous GITMO prisoners, released during George W. Bush's Tenure, and because of his inflexibility towards Habeas Corpus challenges and close relationship with the House of Saud, returns to the battlefield.' But that wouldn't all fit, so Hapaboy, being the tard that he is, just distorted everything that it makes no sense at all to the casual reader who doesn't bother to dig deeper (and who could blame them?).
Obama took a second secret oath. No film exists only some voice over audio. Who did he make the second oath to?
Moonbat, in addition to deprogramming yourself from the DailyKos & Code Pink agendas, try learning to read: "The Defense Department recently estimated that more than 60 terrorists released from Guantanamo may have returned to the battlefield." Of course, to you moonbats, the DoD is just an extension of the Cheney/Rumsfeld conglomerate that wages war for profit, so that is perhaps the reason why you didn't bother to acknowledge it. By the way, any idea when Bush will confess to planning and executing 9/11?