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March 24, 2016

Defense Dept. Envoy: Closing Gitmo "Greatest Single Action U.S. Can Take to Fight Terrorism"
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The House Foreign Affairs Committee held hearings Wednesday on the Obama
administration's plans to close Guantánamo. The scheduled hearing came
only one day after the attacks in Brussels. During the hearings, the
Defense Department special envoy for Guantánamo closure, Paul Lewis,
said U.S. allies have repeatedly called closing the military prison the
"greatest single action the U.S. can take to fight terrorism."

Paul Lewis: "As with our military leaders, foreign leaders regularly
cite the Guantánamo detention facility as an obstacle to
counterterrorism efforts. In my written statement, I cite several
statements. Cliff Sloan, Envoy Wolosky's predecessor, noted an example:
'As a highly ranking security official from one of our staunchest allies
on counterterrorism once told me, the greatest single action the United
States can take to fight terrorism is to close Guantánamo.'"

Topics:Guantanamo

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