U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) introduced a resolution on Tuesday that calls for captured ISIS fighters to be detained at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (GTMO).
The recent capture of an ISIS leader by U.S. forces has raised questions about what to do with captured fighters.
U.S. Gen. Joseph Votel, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, said last week that the Pentagon doesn’t have a plan for the long-term detention of ISIS fighters.
“As a result of these recent events, coupled with the lack of a long-term detainee strategy from the administration, the only responsible and safe choice is to send captured fighters to Guantanamo Bay,” Walorski said. “Why would we capture these men and women, who are guilty of barbaric acts in the region and across the globe, only to release them back to the battlefield? It’s completely nonsensical.”
Walorski’s resolution states that all individuals captured by the United States that meet criteria for being affiliated with terrorist groups like ISIS should be detained outside of the United States and transferred to Guantanamo Bay.
“Islamic State operatives are hardened terrorists and irregular enemy combatants who should be detained at GTMO, not in Colorado or in any other state,” U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO), a Marine Corps combat veteran, said in support of Walorksi’s resolution. “This is yet another reason why GTMO must remain open to detain these individuals who pose a significant threat to U.S. national security.”