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More detainees arrive at U.S. base in Cuba

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two planeloads of detainees from the Afghanistan region arrived over the weekend at Camp Delta on the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, bringing the prisoner count there to 454, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.

Under tight security, a group of 25 detainees arrived Saturday and a second batch of 25 arrived Monday after being held by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, officials at Guantanamo Bay said.

After arriving at Camp Delta, the detainees were processed and screened by medical personnel. A spokesman at Guantanamo Bay said processing includes showers, issuance of items such as a Koran and toiletries, and the opportunity for the detainees to write a letter that is mailed to whomever they choose.

Officials have said in the past that routine blood work on the detainees would yield DNA for any testing and matchups for identification purposes.

The new detainees filled some of the detention facilities recently completed at Camp Delta. On May 28, 204 new cells were completed and turned over to the military, bringing the total cell count to 612. Of those, 158 remain empty.

Military officials would not say when more prisoners would be transferred to Camp Delta, but a Central Command spokesman said 172 detainees are currently being held in Afghanistan by U.S. forces.

The U.S. military began bringing prisoners from Afghanistan to the naval base in Cuba in January. Those held are suspected of supporting the Taliban regime that was ousted as part of a U.S. anti-terrorist push after the attacks of September 11.