US military says 84 prisoners on hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay

In this Oct. 9, 2007 file photo, Guantanamo guards keep watch over a cell block with detainees in Camp 6 maximum-security facility, at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba. (AP)

A U.S. military spokesman says 84 prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay are on hunger strike.

Army Lt. Col. Samuel House says four hunger strikers are in a hospital on the U.S. base in Cuba for observation. That's down from six in the hospital a day earlier.

Officials and lawyers for the men have disagreed over the number of hunger strikers since the protest over their indefinite confinement began in February. Lawyers have said nearly all of the 166 prisoners are refusing meals.

The number meeting the military's definition of hunger strike has steadily grown since guards raided a camp April 13 and moved prisoners from a communal section into single cells.

House said Tuesday that 17 of the 84 strikers are being fed liquid nutrients to prevent dangerous weight loss.