It was widely reported in January that President Obama signed an order to close Guantanamo by the end of the year.
Where will the prisoners go? It was reported in 2008 that a contract was awarded to build a prison complex in Afghanistan, due for completion before the end of the year.
For example, on Aug. 1, the Army Corps of Engineers announced that Prime Projects International, a firm based in Dubai, [UAE], had won a $50 million contract to design and build a prison complex at Bagram to hold 1,000 high- and low-risk detainees. The complex is not expected to be completed before October 2009.
In addition, the Pentagon plans to expand intelligence operations at Bagram, the main prison in Afghanistan.
According to NPR, the number of Guantanamo detainees peaked at 775, a figure well within the capacity of the new prison complex.
