From correspondents in Washington, United States, 08:01 AM IST

A US court Friday rejected an appeal filed by Guantanamo detainee Omar Ahmed Khadr seeking to have the military tribunal charges against him dismissed.

The US Court for Appeals for the District of Colombia ruled that it did not have jurisdiction to dismiss the charges under congressional legislation authorizing the military commissions for trying suspects in the war on terrorism.

Khadr, a Canadian citizen, was a juvenile when he was taken into custody in 2002 and transferred to Guantanamo. Now 21, his trial on charges of murdering a US soldier in Afghanistan is set to begin in October.

Judge David Sentelle and two other judges noted that under the law, Khadr cannot appeal his case to to the US federal court system until after he is tried and convicted.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)