US Lets Allies Detain, Grill Terror Suspects

The Obama administration is stepping up its reliance on foreign allies to capture, interrogate, and detain mid-level terror suspects seized outside of Iraq and Afghanistan, the New York Times reports. In the last 10 months, Middle Eastern governments have handled the cases of about six al-Qaeda operatives. “It’s the preferred method now,” said a former official, but some activists are worried.

Critics say the program, which President Bush initiated, is vulnerable to prisoner abuse and faulty intelligence. But US officials, who often provide the information leading to suspects’ arrests, are focused on deciding where to house high-level suspects long term. Referencing militants held by Pakistan, an official explained, “The issue is: Where do they get parked so they stay parked?”
(More Obama administration stories.)