Obama’s Gitmo Diplomacy Trumps National Security?

(1) They are all members or at least associates of a jihadist organization called the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Party (“ETIP”), which was previously known as the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (“ETIM”). Some like to pretend that all Uighur groups are merely “separatists” fighting a despicable Chinese regime that oppresses the Uighur people in Western China. But, not all Uighur fighting groups were created equal. The ETIP/ETIM is a designated terrorist organization for good reasons. It has known ties to both al Qaeda and the Taliban. Its goal is the establishment of a radical Islamist state throughout South and Central Asia. And its violence is not aimed at China alone. The ETIP/ETIM has fought alongside al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The State Department reports that two members of the group were involved in a plot against the American embassy in Kyrgyzstan in 2002. (2) Most, if not all, of the Uighur detainees received training at a camp in the Tora Bora Mountains — a stronghold for al Qaeda and the Taliban. Some reports indicate that the Taliban and al Qaeda financed the camp. Others try to dispute this, but it is hard to believe that the Taliban/al Qaeda axis did not at least approve of the camp’s existence in pre-9/11 Afghanistan. In addition, ETIP/ETIM guesthouses dotted the Taliban’s Afghanistan, including Kabul, and were used by the Uighur detainees to transit to and from locales such as Tora Bora. (3) A number of the Uighur detainees have admitted the Tora Bora camp, where they lived and trained, was run by Abdul Haq, a UN and U.S. designated terrorist. (The LA Times account incorrectly reported, “There have been no allegations that the Guantanamo detainees have been affiliated with Haq.” Not only has that been alleged, more than several Uighur detainees have openly admitted it.) In recent years, Abdul Haq and his compatriots have appeared in propaganda videos that brandish al Qaeda’s flag and brag about their training in areas of Northern Pakistan that are currently controlled by the Taliban and al Qaeda. In addition, one ETIM/ETIP video threatened an attack on the Chinese Olympic Games last year. The Uighur detainees have also admitted their ties to Hassan Mahsum, the former leader of the ETIP/ETIM who was killed in Waziristan in 2003. (4) While, overall, the Uighurs have not been considered the most problematic of detainees at Gitmo, they have caused some problems. For example, the LA Times reports that one of the Uighurs smashed a television set after a woman’s bare arms were shown during a soccer match. No mere Chinese separatist would be similarly inclined. Since then, Gitmo’s staff has been extra careful in censoring content. In addition, Fox News reported, earlier this month: “One source says at least six have a violent history at Guantanamo, including attacks on guards — attempting to break arms — and ‘bodily fluid cocktails.'”