Wikileaks Reveals Why US Declined to Implant Chips in Released Gitmo Detainees
Counterterrorism adviser John Brennan wasn’t enthusiastic when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia suggested a way to keep track of Guantanamo detainees who are released to foreign countries where terrorist groups operate.
The king suggested implanting the detainees with tracking chips, similar to chips used in horses and falcons, the New York Times reports.
Brennan turned down the idea. “Horses don’t have good lawyers,” the White House aide responded.
The Times found the exchange in secret State Department cables obtained by Wikileaks. The documents show U.S. efforts to find countries willing to take the detainees. “In a global bazaar of sorts, the American officials sweet-talked and haggled with their foreign counterparts,” the Times reports.
Slovenia was told it had to do more on detainee settlement if it wanted to attract high-level U.S attention, the Maldives sought International Monetary Fund assistance, and the Pacific nation of Kiribati was offered an incentive package of $3 million to take 17 Chinese Muslim detainees.
