(Image source: U.S. Dept. of Defense)

BY MALLORY PERRYMAN

ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

Ten years-- 779 foreign captives-- and a promise of shutdown from President Obama.

But after a decade-- Guantanamo Bay is still home to 171 detainees.

CNN has some background.

“In the aftermath of 9/11, national security trumped access to justice. Within a year, there were more than 700 detainees at Gitmo, as it soon became known. But the vast majority were foot soldiers of dubious intelligence value. At home and around the world, protests grew about indefinite detention and interrogation techniques.”

An editorial contributor for Al Jazeera sums up Guantanamo’s presence this way--

“Guantanamo has provided a mirror of sorts, reflecting the aspirations, limitations, and contradictions of America's global ‘war on terror’.”

President Obama made a campaign promise to close the facility-- and he did issue a shutdown order just days after taking office. But as an analyst explains to euronews-- the president quickly realized the complicated reality of his promise.

Karen Greenberg )Director at the Centre on National Security at Fordham Law School): “What the Obama administration has tried to do is go person-by-person through each one of these files to try to decide whether to try them, whether to release them or transfer them, or whether they want to open this category of indefinite detention. And that’s what they decided to do. So in essence, once you’ve opened up the category of indefinite detention, you can never get rid of Guantanamo.”

According to the ACLU, of the remaining Gitmo detainees-- nearly 90 have been cleared by federal agencies. In the cases of 46 other prisoners-- federal authorities say they don’t have enough evidence to prosecute them-- but believe they’re too dangerous to release.

A handful of Guantanamo prisoners-- including the self- professed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks--are set to be tried by a military tribunal. A reporter for the Toronto Star says-- that may put Guantanamo Bay back in public conversation....

“But don’t expect Guantanamo to be an important 2012 election issue. Neither Democrats nor Republicans stand to gain much from the debate, and polls indicate most Americans don’t care deeply about its presence anyway...”

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Monday that President Obama is still committed to closing the prison.