Pentagon inspector general orders Guantanamo probe

WASHINGTON, Oct 13 (Reuters) The Pentagon's Inspector General ordered an investigation into alleged abuse at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay that holds suspected Taliban and al Qaeda members, a spokesman said today.

The order followed a statement last week from a US Marine saying Guantanamo guards described physically and mentally abusing detainees, including slamming one inmate's head into a cell door and denying others privileges just to anger them.

The Marine's sworn statement was released by lawyers for detainees last week. The inspector general's office, which serves as the Pentagon's internal watchdog agency, received the Marine's affidavit and letter by e-mail on Tuesday, the spokesman said.

The case was referred to Miami-based US Southern Command, which is responsible for the prison at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. No deadline has been set for the investigation's conclusion, the spokesman said.

The United States has faced international criticism over its indefinite detention of Guantanamo detainees, many held for more than four years without charges, as well as detainee abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

The Pentagon argues the Guantanamo facility, which holds more than 400 prisoners, including suspected September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is vital to detain and interrogate terrorism suspects who might otherwise return to the battlefield.

REUTERS KD ND2340