US releases 11 more Guantanamo prisoners

8.00am - By CHARLES ALDINGER

WASHINGTON - Eleven more men detained at a US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been released and flown to Afghanistan to be set free, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

The Defence Department, citing "operational and security considerations," provided no further details on the 11 released prisoners. However, it said a total of 539 detainees remained at the American naval base prison.

Most of the remaining detainees, designated as "enemy combatants" by the Pentagon, were taken into custody during the war in Afghanistan and have been held for more than two years.

Human rights groups have criticised the United States for indefinitely detaining prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, most without charges or legal representation. Critics call the base a "legal black hole".

Wednesday's announcement followed the release and transfer of 35 Guantanamo prisoners to custody in Pakistan last week. The latest release brought to 202 the number of prisoners who have been flown from Guantanamo to their home countries to either be set free or held for further investigation.

"The decision to transfer or release a detainee is based on many factors, including whether the detainee is of further intelligence value to the United States and whether the detainee is believed to pose a threat to the United States if released," the Pentagon statement said.

Prisoners have also been released to Afghanistan, Morocco, France, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden and Britain.

Among the prisoners returned to Pakistan last week was one who the Pentagon for the first time formally determined was not an "enemy combatant." That man was caught in May 2002 in Afghanistan.

The man's status was changed following a hearing by a military panel at the base. The Defence Department recently began a series of formal hearings for each prisoner to determine whether the "enemy combatant" status was legitimate in each case.

- REUTERS