By Paddy
They never cease to amaze me with their attempts at smoke and mirrors. "Of course we want to close Guantanemo!!! mumble... Afghanistan... mumble"
The United States plans to build a vast, new detention camp at its main military base in Afghanistan, a Defence Department spokesman said.
"I can confirm there are indeed plans to build a new detention facility at Bagram airfield," spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mark Wright said.
"The overall size is expected to be 40 acres (16.2 ha)."
The move came because "our existing theatre facility is deteriorating," Lt Col Wright said, referring to the makeshift jail at Bagram that holds alleged extremist militants rounded up in the US "war on terror" launched after the September 11 attacks.
The move signals that Washington expects to hold detainees abroad indefinitely even as White House officials say they want to shut down the US-run camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
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