The US has said it could release some detainees from the naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba without their having to appeal to civilian courts in the US.
The comments by the Pentagon follow a decision earlier this week by the US Supreme Court, which ruled that detainees should have the right to challenge their detentions in the US courts.
Nearly 600 terrorist suspects from 40 countries are still being held at the base.
Some have spent more than two years in captivity without being charged.
