Beardedbruce tells us a great deal about what the Guantanamo detainees are not. Presumably his assertions are sourced from his own imagination, but he can tell us.

Here are a couple of reports based on Department of Defense data:

Seton Hall University, Newark NJ

National Journal (Corine Hegland)

From these we learn some interesting things about "the worst of the worst" as the US admin has collectively categorised them. For instance 55 per cent are not accused of any hositlity against the US and a mere 8 per cent (yes, eight per cent) are accused of fighting for terrorist groups. More than 85 per cent of the 450-plus detainees were captured by the Northern Alliance, warlords and Pakistani authorities, at a time when the US was shelling out huge bounties for the capture of suspected terrorists.

I was interested to read WYSIWYG's thoughtful assessment of how people might be affecte by incarceration at Guantanomo. But somehow I found Shafiq Rasul more persuasive on the subject: "There is no hope in Guantanamo. The only thing that goes through your mind day after day is how to get justice or how to kill yourself. It is the despair - not the thought of martyrdom - that sonsumes you there."

Rasul, who is 29, was one of the lucky few who have been released from the camp. Quite why it took nearly three years to establish that there was not a shred of evidence against him, has yet to be explained.