THE Guantanamo files: Assessment of prisoners at risk, often with faulty evidence

Relations between waking and prisoners in Guantanamo Bay range from cooperative too dangerous.

WASHINGTON said Mohammed Alam Shah, a 24-year-Afghan, as teenagers, a leg lost, said interrogators in the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, he was conscripted by the Taliban as a driver had before, were imprisoned in 2001. He had caught were he said as he tried, "his to save younger brother of the Taliban.",.

This article is based on a huge treasure trove of secret government documents leaked last year for the anti-secrecy organization of WikiLeaks, and to the New York Times from a different source on condition of anonymity made available.Editors and journalists, who edited this article will choose you answer questions about the coverage of the material.

Military analysts believed him. Mr Shah, which doctors was fitted with a prosthesis of prison, was "cooperative" and "made has 2003 assessment known not thoughts of violence or made threats to the United States or their allies, a sympathetic". Their conclusion: "prisoner represents not a future threat to the United States or U.S. interests."

So in 2004 Mr Shah was - sent back to Afghanistan where he promptly revealed Abdullah Mehsud, a militant Pakistan born, and began plotting mayhem. He admitted jihadist videos, organized a Taliban force against American forces, planned an attack on Pakistan's Minister of the Interior, the 31 people killed, the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers and finally exploded a bomb supervised suicide in 2007, such as the Pakistani army closed. His martyrdom was celebrated in an audio message by none other than Osama bin Laden.

The Guantanamo's analysts complete misinterpretation of Abdullah Mehsud was included hundreds of classified reviews submitted by prisoners in the prison in Cuba, obtained by the New York Times. The unredacted reviews give the fullest public image date from the prisoners in Guantanamo in the past nine years. They show that the United States has hundreds of men for years without trial arrested based on a difficult and remarkably subjective evaluation of who they were, what they had done in the past and what could they do in the future. 704 Evaluation documents use the word "may" 387 times, "unknown" 188 time and "misleading" 85 times.

With judge, the documents of judgments on the legal challenges of prisoners show that the analysts ignored sometimes serious flaws in the evidence - for example, that the information from other pinned their mental illness was made them unreliable. Witnesses who say they saw a prisoner at a camp run by Al Qaeda but omit the witnesses record of falsehood or misidentification quote some reviews. Other government documents showing that the later often abusive treatment or torture statements attributed to have been withdrawn include admissions of prisoners without confirmation.

A growing suspicion

Written between 2002 and 2009, the reviews reflect a growing suspicion of Guantanamo analysts. From the outset, the reports are only one or two pages and often sanguine in tone. Of 2008, are prisoners reviews after searing advertising of released Al-Qaeda prisoners and the reduction of the prison population to hard core, was decidedly more cautiously.

In each case an Abdullah Mehsud - someone incorrectly assessed a minimal threat - there are several cases in which prisoners were rated "high risk" have published and not involved in misconduct. Murat Kurnaz, a German resident of Turkish origin, would be in a review 2006 Member of the Al-Qaeda, in the most dangerous category were addressed: "high risk" and "likely that endanger the United States, their interests and their allies."

Yet American authorities, under pressure from Germany and Turkey, overruled the analysts and Mr Kurnaz home Germany three months later. He joined not the global Jihad, but instead was a prominent critic of the Guantanamo, to write a book and the countless media appearances, which condemned American prison.

Under the most revealing who is leaking documents a 17-page guide for analysts, obviously from military intelligence instructors, how to measure the risk of a prisoner prepared. It lists large clusters of prisoners give, including the so-called dirty 30, the bodyguards were Mr bin Laden, as well as the large group of accused Al Qaeda activists captured with Abu Zubaydah, a key terrorist facilitator, with two guest houses in FaisalabadPakistan, 2002. It nine mosques with Al-Qaeda are associated in Quebec, Milan, London, Yemen and Pakistan.

The guide shows the smallest details such as a potential litmus test for risk taken up as analysts. If a prisoner had a watch Casio F91W, it could be an indication he attended make bombs had given a Qaeda course, where such watches have been - even though this model is sold to this day all over the world. (As well as the review of the Yemeni prisoners suggests a dire use for his calculator: "calculators can be used calculations of indirect fire such as audible warning for artillery fire.")

Caught a prisoner, without travel documents? Mean it could be that he had trained, identification make it more difficult to discard, explains how the Guide. A prisoner who claimed to be a simple farmer or cook in the honey business, or looking for a woman? Stories cover the common Al Qaeda and Taliban were, the analysts said.

And a classic catch 22: "Refusal to cooperate," says in the manual, is a technique, Al Qaeda resistance.

The Guide obviously still the product of years of experience most trying bits proof of different reliability in a conclusion to make. In particular, it is called as a cautionary tale of the early misconception about Abdullah Mehsud, the Pakistani suicide bombers, had claimed he was forced to join the Taliban. He was "an example," in the manual says, "Of a prisoner, the successful military cover story as a means to his release from US custody advertised."

Scott Shane reported from Washington and Benjamin Weiser from New York. Reporting was contributed by Charlie Savage from Washington, and William Glaberson, Andrew W. teachings and Andrei Scheinkman from New York.

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Evidence aside, State legislators debate Birther' invoices

Only this week on the news program "Good Morning America" on ABC, George Stephanopoulos certification of live birth, causing a potential presidential aspirant, Michele Bachmann, produced a copy of the President settled the Republican Congressman from Minnesota, to say that the issue was published. In 2008, the Supreme Court to hear a case on this proof fell.

But the so-called Birther controversy stubbornly refuses to go away.

The issue that has simmered for years on the edge of the political discourse of the country got even a the last burst of attention, if was adopted you as talk of Donald Trump, a potential Republican presidential candidate.

The result is that what a wispy history of documents and cover-ups buried developed, hide the President been supposed birth in Kenya which - a story that has - dismissed by most mainstream members of the two parties should now seems as political season stumbling 2012 have towards staying power.

A New York Times/CBS News poll on Thursday found that 57 percent of adults surveyed nationwide said they thought that Mr Obama in the United States, compared to 25 percent was born, who said that he was born elsewhere.

But digging deeper shows striking differences along party lines and regions of the country in the numbers. Under the Republicans, for example 33 percent said they thought that Mr Obama in America was born, while 45 percent said that occurred in his birth in another country. The nationwide telephone poll, April 15-20 with 1,224.00 adults and a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points, said believe majorities in all regions of the nation, the President of the United States born was performed, but that these majorities in the South and Midwest in the Northeast and far West were smaller.

Across the country a sure winner for the conservative base is the question, to prove popping up in more than a dozen State to force legislators, future presidential candidates, their citizenship with invoices. The legislators were but much more hesitant to make this problem in concrete right.

Birther bills failed or fell dormant in at least five States and are still in more than a half dozen debates have others. In Arizona, where such a law adopted two legislative chambers veto Governor Jan Brewer, a Republican, it this week, called it "a bridge." too far

But now, Oklahoma, a deeply conservative state, could the first put its doubts in law, by a law, that all candidates by the City Council hopes on, would require to prove that they fulfil the legal requirements for Office. These requirements vary from Office, but presidential candidate would have to, a. file certified proof of the fact that they were born in the United States. The Bill does not specify how documents must be submitted. A vote was expected until next week.

Supporters of the measure, and others like it are from Georgia to Montana, to protest that they not Birthers as doubters of Mr. Obama country, sometimes mocking called have. They say that they want simply to clarify the status of all the candidates and that Mr Obama case only has the question sharpened and illuminated they call a glaring hole in statute the permission to run for Office.

"There is no Birther Bill, it is a common-sense Bill," a main sponsor, State said Senator Rick Brinkley, a Republican from suburbs of Tulsa. "If you're going to file for Office, you should be prepared to demonstrate that you meet the qualifications."

In the State capital cities, have the debates in the dry language of good Government was reframed - a simple effort to clear supporters say air for confused voters. And because many of the Bills failed this year, followers of renewal are their legislative battle plans for the next year, in the heart of a presidential campaign.

In the meantime Mr Trump, a new meaning different views among Republican Governors increased even beyond, that the debate on the question is unclear. After a Republican, said he enthusiastically a similar law would sign veto of the Arizona Bill, such as Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Ms. Brewer it reached his desk should.

Here in Oklahoma, where Mr. Obama won just over a third of the vote in 2008 - one of his worst condition passed losses - Senate Bill 91 last month with overwhelming and even cross-party support. People in both parties said they were confident that the House on time next week would do the same (the law had a procedural vote again to the Senate). Legislators said that they assumed that Governor Mary fallin, a Republican, would be signing it.

A spokesman said Mrs fallin not would show, until the Bill was on her desk and had a chance to make.

Legislator secure credentials are accounts in other countries closely just what happens.

"When a State passes, and the Obama management basically ignored the request, and qualified for the vote in that State, which send to would a very strong signal that we have a situation in the United States where someone who is not occupied the White House holds", said Mark Hatfield, Republican State representative in their own ballot Bill could not be retrieved by Georgia. If Oklahoma does not forward, and an override of the brewer's wife is no veto in Arizona, Mr. Hatfield said, "then the other States, including Georgia, have to increase duty."

Opponents of the invoices of Birther say they are unnecessary and political points over safeguard democracy, certainly case to in Mr Obama.

However, Democrats were divided into Oklahoma. For example, minority floor leader said in the House, Chuck Hoskin, he probably yes would vote. Was asked in an interview whether he was worried-embarrassing given the leader of his own party Mr Hoskin said he thought Mr Obama to win the real fix error of Oklahomans in 2008.

But in the hallway, an Assistant democratic floor leader in the House, Al McAffrey, said the Bill of the fix was. He said "But it is Oklahoma – we embarrass us constantly,".

The fight to clarify that, whether or not solved rules by Birther talk said some legislators in other States was overdue. But even some Republicans who have secured certification of invoices said, she had no doubts about the president's birthplace.

"Barack Obama is a natural citizen, in Hawaii, United States," said Mike Kelley, republikanischer member in the Missouri House and a co-sponsor of a candidate saw certification Bill, which he said condemned for 2011 to fail. "I know there are people out there who believe it is - that's to try to reassure people."

Marjorie Connelly contributed reporting from New York.

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