国际英语新闻：U.S. dumps "enemy combatant" term for terror suspects

WASHINGTON, March 13 (Xinhua) -- In a clear break from the Bushera, the Obama administration on Friday withdrew the designation of "enemy combatants," which allows the United States to hold suspected terrorists at length without criminal charges.

    The U.S. government will no longer use the designation of "enemy combatants," and is developing a new standard for its authority to hold detainees at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Justice Department said in a statement.

    The department said it will no longer rely on the president's authority as commander in chief, but on authority specifically granted by Congress.

    Individuals who support al-Qaida or the Taliban are detainable only if the support was "substantial," it added.

    By dumping the term of "enemy combatant," which had been an important aspect of the Bush administration's legal construct for dealing with terrorism, the new administration is developing "a new policy to govern detainees," Attorney General Eric Holder commented on the decision.

    "It is essential that we operate in a manner that strengthens our national security, is consistent with our values, and is governed by law. The change we've made today meets each of those standards and will make our nation stronger," he added.

    On Jan. 21, one day after his swearing-in, U.S. President Barack Obama signed three executive orders, one about closing Guantanamo within one year, another banning torture and the third ordering a review of options for handling future detainees.