McClatchy Washington Bureau

In a surprise development for the on-again, off-again military commissions at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the Pentagon's chief war crimes prosecutor has abruptly resigned in a dispute over his independence.

Air Force Col. Morris Davis was known in some circles for his colorful descriptions of the alleged war criminals held at the remote U.S. Navy base in Cuba, at one point likening detainees challenging the trial system to vampires afraid of the harsh sunlight of American justice. Then, suddenly, Davis stepped down on Thursday in a dispute over whether Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann, legal advisor to the administrator overseeing the trials, has the power to supervise aspects of the prosecution.