Obama Signs Order to Close Prison at Guantanamo Bay (Julianna Goldman)

  Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama ordered the U.S. prison camp for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, closed within a year and banned intelligence agencies from using the harshest interrogation techniques.

  The president also formed an interagency task force to recommend options for the detention and questioning of enemy combatants, and he ordered the Central Intelligence Agency to close any secret prisons that may still be operating. The orders make good on Obama’s campaign promises and reflect his determination to quickly reshape U.S. policy in the war against terrorism.

  “The message that we are sending around the world is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism,” Obama said after signing the orders, “and we are going to do so effectively, and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals.”

  The building of the prison at Guantanamo Bay after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan brought President George W. Bush’s administration criticism from some groups at home and allies overseas. The United States also came under fire for using so-called enhanced interrogation techniques of suspected terrorists.

Read The Entire Story