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New cells to be built for Afghan war detainees

Lehnert salutes the flag during thr playing of the national anthem Friday.

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (CNN) -- Construction of 408 modular units to be used as detention cells soon will begin at the U.S. naval base in Cuba in anticipation of the arrival of more al Qaeda and Taliban detainees, the commander of the facility said.

The 300 detainees now at Camp X-Ray will be moved into the new units, Marine Brig. Gen. Michael Lehnert said Saturday.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved the request for the units, Lehnert said, and a request for another 408 units will be presented to Congress soon.

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Lehnert said he expects about 2,000 al Qaeda and Taliban detainees to be brought to the facility as a result of Operation Anaconda, which began more than a week ago with fierce fighting in mountainous eastern Afghanistan.

"Since we intend to win the global war on terrorism, we can reasonably expect more detainees as a result of Operation Anaconda," Lehnert said.

Construction on the first 408 units will begin Monday at the Radio Range area of Camp X-Ray in the southeast part of the base, a military spokesman said. The area also will be home to a more permanent military force, he added.

Lehnert said he hopes to begin construction on the second set of 408 units by the end of the month, pending congressional approval.

The military spokesman said the United States wants to build a total of 2,040 modular units to accommodate the growing detainee needs at Guantanamo Bay.