Central Command leader General Tommy Franks “immediately codified the lifting of the [Geneva] conventions [from protecting Taliban and al-Qaeda individuals] by sending out his own memorandum on January 24, 2002, entitled ‘Guidance for PUC (Persons Under U.S. Control) handling,’ which read: ‘The United States has determined that al-Qaeda and Taliban individuals under the control of the DoD [Department of Defense] are not entitled to prisoner of war status for purposes of the Geneva Conventions of 1949… With the war on terrorism at full speed, the ability to obtain accurate and timely information about the capabilities, intentions, and activities of foreign powers, organizations, or persons may be at odds with the Laws of War and other training our military personnel received.’ ”
– Ricardo S. Sanchez with Donald T. Phillips, Wiser in Battle, Page 145