On May 15, 2006 the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

acknowledged that there were three Mauritanian captives held in Guantanamo.list of prisoners (.pdf)
''

US Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

'', May 15, 2006 The Guantanamo Bay detainment camps were opened on January 11, 2002 at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. The Bush administration asserted that all captives taken in the "

global war on terror The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant I ...

" could be held there, in extrajudicial detention, without revealing their names. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

had filed a

Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act * ...

request for the names of all the captives. The Department of Defense justified keeping the information secret on the grounds of protecting the captives' privacy, as they had not been charged with crimes. After exhausting legal appeals, the Department of Defense were forced, by a court order, to release the identities of all the Guantanamo captives. '' WTOP'' reported in 2006 that one of the Mauritanians held in Guantanamo had been transferred to United States officers by former leader Maaouya Sid'Ahmed Ould Taya.Mauritania Leader Aims to Avoid Oil Curse
'' WTOP'', April 23, 2006
mirror

Known Guantanamo detainees from Mauritania

References

{{Guantanamo Bay Detainees Mauritanian *