What should we do with the terrorists whom we capture?

CPT Jack Durish — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 14:38:48 -0400

This question is inspired by another related discussion on RallyPoint wherein the RP audience is discussing their reaction to the news that President Obama has ordered the release of another terrorist from the facility at Guantanamo Bay. This question is different in that, rather than being reactive (What do you think about what happened), it is proactive (What do you think should be done?). This should give us a taste of what it is like to govern.

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/while-your-attention-was-focused-on-the-pope-obama-did-this-what-are-your-thoughts

I feel that my response to that other discussion will serve to frame this one...

"What should we do with these people? I'm beginning to think there is no good answer. The President's solution, to release the terrorists who have been captured, certainly isn't it. Although as another member of the RP audience has observed, this returns them to the battlefield where someone may exercise better sense and merely kill rather than capture them. Trying them as criminals so that they may be incarcerated in penal facilities or executed has a serious downside; a public trial would expose the methods and intelligence used to capture them thereby alerting other terrorists. We can't detain them as POWs inasmuch as they are not soldiers of a belligerent state as defined by the Geneva Conventions (and there does not yet appear to be an end to the conflict in which they have participated). We've tried returning them to their native lands on the promise that governments there would "keep an eye on them to prevent future terrorism" (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Maybe this should be the topic of another discussion thread. Maybe we can "crowdsource" a solution among ourselves. I have little confidence that our government is going to do any better, do you?"

While Your Attention was Focused on the Pope, Obama Did This.What Are Your Thoughts ? |...

The Pope has been rubbing elbows with American leaders, schmoozing with Washington's elite, and espousing traditionally liberal talking points during highly politicized speeches, which has kept the media plenty busy covering his every move. As this has been happening, the Obama administration quietly released a man named Abdul Shalabi without anybody taking notice, until now.Shalabi was being held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in...

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Sep 27 at 2015 2:51 PM

Capt Seid Waddell — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 14:51:04 -0400

As long as we cannot count on keeping them locked up, firing squads would work for me.
There is no recidivism among the dead.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Sep 27 at 2015 3:33 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 15:33:42 -0400

Right now, we're using verbiage loopholes (linguistic gymnastics) to treat them differently than the actual situation merits.

Yes, these guys are (likely) bad folks, but we have rules. We've been ignoring those rules, because we don't want to risk letting the rules work in favor of the bad guys, which our Justice system is supposed to. So we said screw it...

The problem is that we don't actually have "solid proof." Yes, we know they're bad guys. But knowing and proving are two different things. But get public opinion on your side, and call someone a terrorist, or if they look different enough, or believe something different enough and you can just throw them in a cell for quite a long time and no one will care.. because the US Government has a proven track record of not screwing things like this up, in various other wars.

So, what do we do? Stock #&^#$%* around, and get rid of the idiot classifications like "enemy combatant" and either stick with Criminal or PoW, and treat them like such.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2015 4:58 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 16:58:09 -0400

Ensure they never meet Alla.

Response by CW4 Guy Butler made Sep 27 at 2015 5:16 PM

CW4 Guy Butler — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 17:16:35 -0400

More details...

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/09/23/saudi-prisoner-waging-hunger-strike-at-guantanamo-bay-released/

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Sep 27 at 2015 6:13 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 18:13:59 -0400

Well it is probably not politically correct CPT Jack Durish; but, I think that terrorists who are captured while active should be imprisoned outside U.S. jurisdiction where our freedoms don't apply. Those who are expected to have real time information that could benefit us should be subjected to methods that would get them to speak the truth - not those that would necessarily torture. The more we understand about our enemies especially those who follow the Wahhabi doctrine the better. Hopefully we will develop ways to exploit the differences between the groups and instill infighting - ISIS versus Taliban, ISIS versus al-Qaeda, etc.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Sep 27 at 2015 6:34 PM

SSgt Alex Robinson — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 18:34:04 -0400

If they committed crimes against humanity they should receive the harshest penalty... death

Response by CPO Andy Carrillo, MS made Sep 27 at 2015 8:38 PM

CPO Andy Carrillo, MS — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 20:38:38 -0400

We trade 'em around like baseball cards because our government now negotiates with and bargains with terrorists and those who fund them.

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made Sep 27 at 2015 8:58 PM

Sgt Kelli Mays — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 20:58:53 -0400

We should put Gitmo back in play once obama is out...we should house all terrorist there and if Gitmo is out of the questions, then something similar, far away, not on US soil and keep them locked up...and if this is not possible then Hang them...or shoot them....or drop them off on a volcanic rock with no way off.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 28 at 2015 12:15 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 00:15:55 -0400

I think we should move Camp X-ray to Point Barrow, Alaska.
No walls or wire necessary.
The left should love the idea... those polar bears are really hungry.

Response by SrA Matthew Knight made Sep 28 at 2015 8:10 AM

SrA Matthew Knight — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 08:10:06 -0400

I generally don't advocate a death penalty but I would say in cases like this where someone is 100% beyond a shadow of a doubt guilty of committing or supporting terrorist acts against any innocent civilian populations then execution should be imposed. As others have stated many of these people are just going to go back out and kill people again. Why let them? They made the choices they made with a full understanding of the consequences and it is things like this, letting them go or just giving them a nice cell to live in, that makes them not fear us and motivates them to keep doing what they do.

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Sep 28 at 2015 9:08 AM

SSG Warren Swan — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 09:08:11 -0400

I agree with most of the answers given, but my question would be; What purpose would it serve to kill a man who wants to die? These clowns think it's "cute" to be a "martyr". This has happened during the island hopping campaign in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and now the GWOT (or whatever is cool to call it today). These clowns want to be "martyrs" and I think killing them only heightens their status wherever they're from, and can still jeopardize troops deployed or home. Keeping them alive unfortunately seems the only alternative, but now we're still paying for it. Those three hots and a cot aren't free, they're on our dime. But for some reason, the taxes we pay to keep GITMO open and these clowns in there, is cheaper than telling someone that a IED took just one of our troops out. There's no amount of money for one of our lives, that I can foresee paying. Too many issues overall, but killing in this ONE case, might not be the best answer.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Sep 28 at 2015 9:40 AM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 09:40:35 -0400

CPT Jack Durish I am going to be a real asshole on this one. I think that they should be killed in the same inhumane manner as they have executed others. Start by force feeding them bacon and other pork products. Force feed them wine. Then when they are at their most impure, behead them using the same blade that has been used to slaughter pigs. No martyrdom for you. No paradise. No land of milk and honey. No 72 virgins. then dump their carcass in the dessert so that the scavengers can pick them clean. Make sure that there is no video of it, just rumor that they will be made impure before being sent to Allah.

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 28 at 2015 11:54 AM

PO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 11:54:50 -0400

proven terrorist? kill them. have doubt? release them and kill them if we catch them again. simple.

Response by SPC George Long made Sep 28 at 2015 11:42 PM

SPC George Long — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 23:42:37 -0400

2 to the chest 1 to the head. Be good practice.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 30 at 2015 1:04 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 01:04:29 -0400

I think we should plant GPS trackers inside them, release them, and then see where they go. If you poison them for a little bit, make them a little sick, and then tell them they need some operation to cure their "sickness", they'd never know. Hell, you could probably do it with a root canal, but teeth tend to rot out, so you'd probably want something more invasive.

They might wonder why every safehouse they visit keeps getting burned, but you'd get a few before they'd catch on.

And if they're not terrorists, they'd just go home and stay there. That's how you seperate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.