U.S. seeks two Gitmo trial postponements

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Military judges at the U.S. Naval base in Cuba heard postponement requests Wednesday for two al-Qaida "foot soldiers," the Pentagon says.

In one of the two case, the Defense Department is seeking a delay while the Obama administration decides whether to proceed with military or civilian prosecution, the Miami Herald reports.

It will be the third postponement for Noor Uthman Mohammed who was apprehended in Afghanistan in the 1990s on suspicion of being an assault weapons instructor for al-Qaida.

The Pentagon also wants to delay the case of Ibrahim al-Qosi, a 49-year-old Sudanese man who faces material support for terror and conspiracy charges for serving as a bodyguard and driver for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.

"These are foot soldiers, meaning they aided al-Qaida in training camps and provided material support generally," said Navy Capt. John F. Murphy, the Pentagon's chief war crimes prosecutor.