Youngest inmates leave Cuba

2004-01-30 11:13

Washington - Three juveniles who were captured in raids in Afghanistan have been released from a US prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and repatriated to their home country, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The Pentagon would not identify the three or provide details about the circumstances surrounding their capture and release, saying they were concerned they may be threatened by Taliban or al-Qaeda sympathisers.

"Defence Department senior leadership, in consultation with other senior US government officials, have determined that the juvenile detainees no longer posed a threat to our nation, that they have no further intelligence value and that they are not going to be tried by the US government for any crimes," it said.

So far, 87 of the more than 660 detainees at the US Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have been released.

Six detainees have been designated by President George W Bush as eligible trial by military commission, but no charges have been brought so far.

The Pentagon said two of the detainees were captured in raids on Taliban camps, and one was captured trying to obtain weapons to fight US forces.

Medical tests determined the juveniles were all under the age of 16.

The Pentagon said the three were being resettled in their home country with the help of non-governmental organisations.

- AFP