This Jan. 19, 2012, file photo reviewed by the U.S. military shows the front gate of "Camp Six" detention facility of the Joint Detention Group at the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The Trump administration is weighing a plan to send hundreds of captured ISIS fighters to an Iraqi prison after other countries refused to take them, and to send several of the highest-value fighters to the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, five U.S. officials and two European diplomats told NBC News.

The possible Guantanamo detainees include two ISIS fighters who participated in the murder of Americans and other Western hostages, say five U.S. officials. Alexandar Amon Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh were members of a group of four jihadis dubbed "The Beatles" by observers because of their British accents.

Detainees sent to Iraq would be held in Iraqi prisons with Iraqi guards, but the U.S. might retain the right to prosecute them if they could not be sent to their home countries, said officials.

Democrats in Congress and human rights groups oppose sending new detainees to Guantanamo and say those ISIS fighters suspected of murdering Americans should be tried in federal court, where they could be held accountable instead of held indefinitely without charges.

Trump Wants US Troops on Mexico Border, Out of Syria

At a news conference with Baltic leaders, President Donald Trump discussed his desire to send U.S. troops to the border with Mexico and, now that ISIS has been nearly defeated, out of Syria. (Published Tuesday, April 3, 2018)

A spokesman for the National Security Council declined to comment on options for detained foreign fighters or the "disposition of specific cases." The State Department would neither confirm nor deny that such a move is among the options the administration is considering.</s>Trump admin may send captured ISIS fighters to Iraq prison, Guantanamo

The possible Guantanamo detainees include two ISIS fighters who participated in the murder of Americans and other Western hostages, say U.S. officials.</s>The Trump administration is weighing a plan to send hundreds of captured ISIS fighters to an Iraqi prison after other countries refused to take them, and to send several of the highest-value fighters to the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, five U.S. officials and two European diplomats told NBC News.

The possible Guantanamo detainees include two ISIS fighters who participated in the murder of Americans and other Western hostages, say five U.S. officials. Alexandar Amon Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh were members of a group of four jihadis dubbed "The Beatles" by observers because of their British accents.

Detainees sent to Iraq would be held in Iraqi prisons with Iraqi guards, but the U.S. might retain the right to prosecute them if they could not be sent to their home countries, said officials.

Democrats in Congress and human rights groups oppose sending new detainees to Guantanamo and say those ISIS fighters suspected of murdering Americans should be tried in federal court, where they could be held accountable instead of held indefinitely without charges.

A spokesman for the National Security Council declined to comment on options for detained foreign fighters or the "disposition of specific cases." The State Department would neither confirm nor deny that such a move is among the options the administration is considering.</s>WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is weighing a plan to send hundreds of captured ISIS fighters to an Iraqi prison after other countries refused to take them, and to send several of the highest-value fighters to the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, according to five U.S. officials and two European diplomats.

The possible Guantanamo detainees include two ISIS fighters who participated in the murder of Americans and other Western hostages, say five U.S. officials. Alexandar Amon Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh were members of a group of four jihadis dubbed "The Beatles" by observers because of their British accents.

Detainees sent to Iraq would be held in Iraqi prisons with Iraqi guards, but the U.S. might retain the right to prosecute them if they could not be sent to their home countries, said officials.

Democrats in Congress and human rights groups oppose sending new detainees to Guantanamo and say those ISIS fighters suspected of murdering Americans should be tried in federal court, where they could be held accountable instead of held indefinitely without charges.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., worries that sending the militants to Guantanamo would potentially turn them into martyrs. She has called on the Trump administration to prosecute those suspected of killing Americans in federal civilian courts to ensure they face justice.

A spokesperson for Sen. Shaheen said she has advocated for the ISIS killers of journalist James Foley "to be tried in federal courts in accordance with the wishes of the Foley family."

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Judiciary Committee, wants to see the two "Beatles" sent to Guantanamo as a temporary move before a possible trial in a civilian court in the U.S., a series of moves that would be prohibited under existing law.

The prisoners who may be destined for Iraq or Cuba would be drawn from a group of about 600 currently held by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in a rebel-controlled area of Syria, say the officials. Many of the detainees are foreign fighters, and range from foot soldiers plucked off the battlefield to the highest value detainees who were tracked and captured with help from the U.S. military.

The SDF, a majority Kurdish militia in northern Syria, has accumulated the prisoners over months of fighting, creating an increasingly challenging situation. The SDF continues to fight a complicated war and doesn't have the resources to detain, prosecute or protect hundreds of prisoners. In July Sens. Graham and Shaheen visited the prison where the SDF is holding the detainees.

A spokesman for the National Security Council declined to comment on options for detained foreign fighters or the "disposition of specific cases."

"Our partners in Syria are detaining terrorists who were captured or surrendered, including many foreign terrorist fighters," said the spokesman. "All options will be considered. The president and his national security team will pursue the option that best protects the national security interests of the United States."

The State Department would neither confirm nor deny that such a move is among the options the administration is considering.

"We encourage all of our partners to take responsibility for their citizens, including prosecuting them for any crimes they've committed, and ensuring they cannot return to the battlefield. We will continue to pursue all diplomatic avenues. We have no further specifics to provide at this time," a State Department spokesperson told NBC News.

Asked about the possibility of sending ISIS prisoners captured in Syria to Guantanamo, Pentagon spokesman Cdr. Sean Robertson would not discuss specific individuals, but said, "DOD's detainee policy provides our warfighters guidance on nominating detainees for transfer to Guantanamo detention should the individual present a continuing, significant threat to the security of the United States."

Cdr. Sarah Higgins, a Defense Department spokesperson who focuses on detainee policy, said, "There is no one identified to transfer to Guantanamo at this time."

The U.S. has struggled for months to send the prisoners back to their countries of origin.

U.S. officials started lobbying other countries to accept some of the detainees at a meeting of defense ministers in Rome in February.

Earlier this year, the U.S. sent letters to a number of countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Gulf nations, and others – nearly four dozen in all - informing them the SDF is holding their citizens. The letters included names and as much personal identifying information as possible for each person. The letters said the SDF could not hold these fighters long term and arrangements needed to be made for transfer and continued detention.

At first, no country agreed, according to the five U.S. officials, with one characterizing the response as "mixed."

Over the next several months the U.S. convinced several nations to repatriate their citizens. Earlier this month, Macedonia took seven fighters, and Lebanon took custody of eight.

Two senior U.S. defense officials confirm that both Tunisia and Kazakhstan have expressed some willingness to take custody of fighters being held in Syria. In the case of Tunisia, they may be willing to take more than 150 prisoners, but they want compensation.

Nathan Sales, the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism, was due to travel to Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco this week to discuss "foreign terrorist fighters" among other issues, the administration said in a statement on Monday.

But other countries have continued to decline U.S. requests. And another issue is the nearly 2,000 women and children – wives and kids of ISIS militants imprisoned or killed in fighting – who are now held in refugee camps. Their home countries don't want them back for fear they could bring radical ideology with them. The home countries fear "later radicalization of the children, mental health issues from what the kids have lived through, especially the teenagers, and concern the women may have been radicalized as fighters," according to one U.S. official familiar with the discussions.

Human Rights Watch, which has tracked the status of the detainees in northern Syria, has appealed to the United States and its allies to ensure the ISIS fighters are brought to justice, but in a way that adheres to international law. The group recently criticized Washington over the transfer of eight of the detainees to Lebanon, saying the move raised the risk the men would be subject to torture and unfair trials.

The U.S. is still searching for a solution, but now is considering sending the fighters to a prison in Iraq. One official explained this would "alleviate some of the security concern" that the prisoners could escape. Another official said holding the detainees in Iraq as a transit point also eliminates the need for their home countries to enter Syria to collect them.

Among the prisons under consideration is the detention facility at al Asad Airbase in Anbar Province.</s>Donald Trump is considering sending two notorious British Isis fighters nicknamed ‘The Beatles’ to Guantanamo Bay, it has been reported.

The president is said to be mulling over whether Alexanda Amon Kotey, 33, and El Shafee Elsheikh, 30, should be deported from Iraq to the US detention camp in Cuba.

He is considering his options after the pair – named after the 60s pop group because of their English accents – had their British citizenship revoked for joining Isis, leaving them effectively stateless.

They are being considered for Guantanamo because of their status as ‘high value’ Isis prisoners with close links to Jihadi John – real name Mohammed Emwazi – who beheaded at least seven people in 2014 and 2015.

According to NBC, the State Department has refused to confirm or deny whether or not the men are destined for Guantanamo.

Democrats in Congress and human rights groups oppose any such move, and say anyone suspected of murdering American citizens should be tried in a federal court so that they can be held accountable rather than held indefinitely without charges.

If brought before a federal court and convicted, the Kotey and Elsheikh face spending the rest of their lives at the notorious Florence ADX ‘Supermax’ prison in Colorado, where inmates spend 23 hours a day in their tiny cells.

They have admitted joining Isis, but deny murdering anyone.

The Trump administration is also said to be considering sending hundreds of other captured Isis fighters to an Iraqi prison after their other countries refused to accept them.</s>
• The Trump administration is reportedly mulling over a plan to send several captured, high-value ISIS fighters to the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.
• Experts warn moving these ISIS fighters to Guantanamo could turn them into martyrs and aid the terror group's recruiting efforts.
• Human rights groups like Amnesty International say the ISIS fighters should be tried in a federal court in the US.

The Trump administration is reportedly mulling over a plan to send several captured, high-value ISIS fighters to the highly controversial US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, a move experts warn could turn them into martyrs and aid the terror group's recruiting efforts.

As part of this plan, hundreds of lower-level fighters other countries have refused to accept would be placed in an Iraqi prison, according to NBC News, which spoke with five US officials and two European diplomats familiar with the discussions. The roughly 600 ISIS fighters are currently being held by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in a rebel-controlled area of Syria.

Two of the high-value fighters the Trump administration is reportedly considering sending to Guantanamo were accused of the murder of Americans and other Western hostages: Alexandar Amon Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh.

Kotey and Elsheikh, members of a group of four jihadis nicknamed "The Beatles" due to the British accents, oversaw the beheadings of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and American aid worker Peter Kassig, among others.

Democrats in Congress oppose sending new detainees to Guantanamo

Critics of sending new detainees to Guantanamo, which includes Democrats in Congress, contend doing so sends a dangerous message about America's commitment to human rights and aids the propaganda of terrorists.

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who has visited the facility where the hundreds of ISIS fighters are presently detained, strongly opposes sending Kotey and Elsheikh to Guantanamo. Shaheen is among those who believes doing so would turn them into martyrs, according to NBC's report, and wants them to be tried in a federal court in the US.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who joined Shaheen as she visited the facility in Syria in July, believes the high-value ISIS targets should be temporarily transferred to Guantanamo before being brought to the US for trial. But current US law would make this process difficult.

The National Security Council and State Department would not comment on discussions surrounding the fate of these detained ISIS fighters when contacted by NBC News.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Pentagon told NBC, "DOD's detainee policy provides our warfighters guidance on nominating detainees for transfer to Guantanamo detention should the individual present a continuing, significant threat to the security of the United States."

'Gitmo is the global symbol of US torture'

The detention center at Guantanamo Bay, which was opened by former President George W. Bush in 2002, remains one of the most controversial symbols of the war on terror due to its association with torture, indefinite imprisonment without trial, and other human rights violations.

At least 780 people have been held at Guantanamo, most without charge or trial.

Former President Barack Obama pledged to close Guantanamo, also known as "Gitmo," but ultimately failed in this endeavor largely because of legal hurdles and obstinance in Congress.

But human rights groups like Amnesty International continue to call for the detention facility to be closed down.

"Guantanamo should be closed, not filled with more people, that's for sure," Zeke Johnson, senior director of programs for Amnesty International USA, told Business Insider.

Johnson added, "Gitmo is really about politics and not smart policy, and that's a tragedy for everybody."

Based on statements from President Donald Trump, Johnson says "there's a legitimate risk" the US may "return to torture.

"That's completely unacceptable and can't be allowed to happen," Johnson said. "Gitmo is the global symobl of US torture, which is why it should be shutdown."

'Everyone has the right to a trial and due process, that separates democracies from dictatorships'

Johnson noted there are still people detained indefinitely without trial at Guantanamo, including five who've been cleared to leave.

In this context, Johnson agrees with Shaheen that ISIS fighters like Kotey and Elsheikh should be tried in a federal court. He contends these men should be brought to justice, but in a way that respects international and US law.

"The federal court system has its problems and needs to be cleaned up, but it's a much better venue for trying to get a fair trial than Guantanamo," Johnson said, adding, "Everyone has the right to a trial and due process, that separates democracies from dictatorships."

'Guantanamo... has been a recruiting symbol for those extremists and jihadists who would fight us'

Though Amnesty's primary focus regarding Gitmo is human rights, Johnson also highlighted concerns from many members of the military and intelligence communities regarding the detention facility's status as a "recruiting tool" for terrorism.

He pointed to the example of retired Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011, who called for Gitmo's closing on these grounds during an interview in 2009.

"The concern I’ve had about Guantanamo in these wars is it has been a symbol – and one which has been a recruiting symbol for those extremists and jihadists who would fight us... That’s at the heart of the concern for Guantanamo’s continued existence," Mullen said at the time. "I’ve advocated for a long time now that it needs to be closed."</s>Donald Trump's administration is considering sending two suspected Isil ‘Beatles’ fighters to Guantanamo Bay rather than having them face the death penalty, NBC News has reported.

Five unnamed US officials told the broadcaster that the jihadists Alexanda Kotey and Shafee El-Sheikh could be sent to the infamous Cuban detention centre.

Both men were allegedly part of the notorious terror cell dubbed ‘The Beatles’ who beheaded US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning.

They grew up in west London before fleeing to Syria to join Isil, but were captured, detained and have been stripped of their British citizenship as they await their fate.

The UK government decided to waive the usual demand for an assurance execution will not be considered when it agreed to hand over intelligence to help prosecute the men in America.</s>The Trump administration is also considering transferring several Daesh fighters to a prison in Iraq given that other states have rejected requests to take them, NBC reported.

Iraqi security officers would oversee the fighters but the United States would reserve the right to prosecute them, the report added, also saying that Trump wanted to send to the Guantanamo detention facility those fighters who had taken part in the killing of Americans and other Western hostages.

READ MORE: US-Led Coalition Enters Final Stage of Op to Clear Euphrates From Daesh

The US State Department told NBC it could not officially confirm the possible move, but noted the Trump administration would like to see all countries take responsibility for their citizens, including prosecuting them for any crimes they have committed.

Initially, no country responded to the US government’s letter, but later in 2018 some countries — like Macedonia and Lebanon — took custody of their citizens. The Daesh fighters from Macedonia are ethnic Albanians, who also fought with other Albanians in Macedonia and in the Serbian province of Kosovo against the legitimate governments in those countries, according to published reports.

*Daesh, also known as IS\ISIS\ISIL\Islamic State, is a terrorist group, banned in Russia</s>The idea of sending several high-profile Daesh* captives to the offshore US prison in Guantanamo Bay has reportedly been met with stiff criticism by some US politicians, according to NBC News. Senator Jeanne Shaheen expressed concern that sending them to the Cuban prison will turn those terrorists into martyrs, making them material for terrorist recruiters. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham suggested that after Guantanamo the Daesh* fighters could be moved to the US for proper prosecution in a federal court.

Donald Trump's administration is reportedly looking into the possibility of sending top Daesh* militants to Guantanamo, while sending hundreds more to Iraqi prisons. The reason behind the move is that no other state had reportedly agreed to take them in.

The US prison at the Guantanamo Bay naval base was created in 2002 amid the War on Terror to detain dangerous prisoners, mostly terrorists. They are often held indefinitely without ever being tried for their purported crimes. Former US President Obama tried to close the camp as the UN demanded, but he met strong bipartisan opposition on that point and was forced to sign a law, prohibiting the transfer of Guantanamo prisoners to US soil.

READ MORE: Ex-Guantanamo Detainee Jihad Deyab Deported From Turkey to Syria — Sources

US President Donald Trump has praised the prison as a place to detain "bad dudes" such as Daesh members. On January 2018 he signed an order to keep the Guantanamo Bay prison open indefinitely.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization banned in Russia</s>The Trump administration is considering sending some captured Islamic State fighters, including the two "Beatles," British citizens who took part in beheadings, to the military-run prison in Guantanamo, Cuba, NBC has reported.

The prison could be used to jail indefinitely a number of "high-value" IS foreign fighters captured in Iraq and Syria, while sending less important detainees whose governments won't accept them to an Iraqi-run prison, NBC said, citing unnamed U.S. officials and European diplomats.

NBC said among those being considered for transfer are Alexanda Amon Kotey and El Shafee el-Sheikh, two survivors of a four-man IS unit that saw kidnapped foreign journalists and others tortured and beheaded.

The captives have been dubbed "The Beatles" for their British accents.

Moving newly captured jihadists to Guantanamo would mark a shift in U.S. policy by the Trump administration: after having peaked at 780 detainees, the facility has not received a new prisoner since 2008.

Most detainees have been released, and the current population is 40, including several key al-Qaida figures accused of plotting the September 11, 2001 and other attacks.

Their trials under the military justice system have stalled for more than a decade, and adding newcomers will raise concerns the Trump administration has little intention to respect their legal rights.

The U.S. military recently repatriated two US citizens detained in Syria, and has sent their cases to civilian courts where they now face trial for supporting Islamic State.

A U.S. military spokeswoman, Commander Sarah Higgins, had no comment about the NBC report and added: "there is no one identified for transfer to Guantanamo at this time."

"The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay is one disposition option for long-term detention of enemy combatants. Other options include transfer to foreign partners and prosecution in U.S. courts."

The cases of Kotey and Sheikh have been controversial in Britain.

According to unconfirmed reports, they were stripped of their British citizenship before they were captured in early 2018 in Syria, and the British government has made no effort to have them brought to Britain for trial.

British opponents of the death penalty have demanded that the U.S. not be allowed to take control of them.

In July, Minister for Security Ben Wallace told parliament that the British government is "working closely with international partners to ensure that they face justice for any crimes they have committed."

At the same time, he said the British government's official position is that the Guantanamo prison "should close."

"Where we share evidence with the U.S., it must be for the express purpose of progressing a criminal prosecution, and we have made that clear to the United States," he said.
The Trump administration is considering sending captured ISIL fighters to a prison in Iraq, as well as sending "high-valued fighters", who participated in the murder of Americans and other Western hostages, to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Human rights groups and the Democratic Party are opposed to holding these people indefinitely without charges and say they should be tried in federal courts.