US expands facilities at Camp X-Ray

US sailors have started constructing more cells at Camp X-Ray in Cuba to allow flights carrying more detainees to resume.

Officials have postponed bringing other detainees from Afghanistan until investigators finish questioning the camp's current 158 inmates.

They are trying to determine whether they should remain imprisoned on the base, should be sent to another country, or be returned to their homelands.

They are nationals of at least 10 countries there.

The detainees were not allowed lawyers as officers from several US civilian and military agencies interrogated them.

"We have a large enough population to begin interviews," Brigadier General Mike Lehnert, the Marine in charge of the detention camp said.

All the prisoners are suspected terrorists who fought for al Qaida or the ousted Afghan Taliban regime. Interrogations are taking place in a tent.

Sailors are unravelling a chain-link fence to form the walls of more open-air cells on a concrete base and topped by corrugated iron.

About 230 detainees remain at a US base at Kandahar airport, in southern Afghanistan.

When the last detainees arrived from Afghanistan, on Tuesday, all but two of the temporary cells were occupied. Since then, sailors have erected another 60 cells, for a total of 220, and more go up each day.