By David Morgan, Reuters
The Pentagon on Wednesday urged Congress to avoid an early closing of the U.S. military prison in Cuba, despite widespread recognition that the infamous jail has eroded U.S. standing in the world.
Defense officials told the U.S. House of Representatives that it could take about three years to try 60 to 80 Guantanamo Bay inmates identified as terror suspects who could be successfully prosecuted on war crimes charges before military tribunals.
Others from among a current prison population of 385 inmates would also require years to gain release or be transferred into the custody of their home countries.