One attempt was by an inmate who had tried to kill himself at least once before, said Commander Barbara Burfeind. The other detainee had not attempted suicide before, she said.

"Both were unhurt," she said, adding that they had been examined by medical personnel.

Burfiend said the attempts occurred "in about the last 10 days" but could not be more specific about when they occurred or the circumstances.

Since the detention center opened in January 2002 to hold suspected Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners captured in Afghanistan, 18 inmates have attempted suicide a total of 27 times but none have succeeded.

"Most are predominantly attempted hangings," said Burfeind.

A detainee who tried to hang himself January 16 is still under medical care, she said.

"The good thing is he's actually talking and showing improvement," she said.

Detainees who have attempted suicide are "closely monitored" and treated at a new mental health center at the facility, she said.

"There has not been a common cause determined for suicide attempts," she said. "All of them are taken seriously."

The Guantanamo detention center holds an estimated 680 inmates.

WAR.WIRE