25 February 2004	Wednesday	04 Muharram 1425

WASHINGTON, Feb 24: Two men, alleged to have been key members of the Al Qaeda network, have been charged with conspiracy to commit war crimes. According to a BBC web site report , the Pentagon named them as Ali Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al- Bahlul of Yemen and Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi of Sudan.

It said that the pair will be tried either by military commission or by tribunal. According to their charge sheets, they also have a number of aliases. These first charges are a critical step towards the actual holding of the first of such military commissions or tribunals for Guantanamo detainees.

Around 650 Taliban and Al Qaeda suspects are held at Guantanamo Bay. The men who have been charged are alleged to have been bodyguards of Osama Bin Laden. Ali Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al- Bahlul is also alleged to have been a key Al Qaeda propagandist who produced videos glorifying the killing of Americans, including the attack on the USS Cole in October 2000 in Yemen.

Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi is alleged to have been a key Al Qaeda accountant and weapons-smuggler. He is also said to have been a long-time associate of Osama Bin Laden, dating back to the Al Qaeda leader's time in Sudan.

It has taken more than two years - since the first detainees were brought to Guantanamo Bay - to get to this stage. However, the timing of trials for these two men has still to be decided. -Agencies