Guantanamo Prison to Get More Guards
2,000 staff for 166 prisoners
The U.S. Southern Command said Wednesday it has requested additional guards for the prison camps at Guantánamo, with the goal of reaching a 2,000-strong staff at the detention center of 166 captives.
Part of the reason is the ongoing hunger strike that has most prisoners under lockdown. As of Wednesday, the Pentagon had 1,831 troops and civilians assigned to the prison, including 15 extra public-affairs troops training 20 replacements.
"When you go to single cell, that takes more people," said Navy Capt. Robert Durand, the prison spokesman, who reported Wednesday night that 124 reinforcements from the Texas-based 591st Military Police Co. arrive at Guantánamo on Saturday.