Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba ? The number of detainees holding to a hunger strike dwindled Wednesday, with only three men left who have been without food since the protest’s initial days, U.S. military officials said.

The protest began Feb. 27, a day after guards stripped an inmate of his turban during prayers. But prisoners have told their captors their underlying concern is uncertainty about their fate.

U.S. officials are determining whether and how to prosecute the 300 men held at the naval base in southeastern Cuba. Those not tried by a military tribunal could be prosecuted in U.S. courts, returned to their home countries for prosecution, released outright, or held indefinitely.

Most of the strikers have been eating some food. Nearly all the 51 captives who skipped breakfast and 46 who refused lunch Wednesday have had at least one meal during the weeklong protest.

“We have what I would refer to as a rolling hunger strike,” said Marine Brig. Gen. Michael Lehnert, the commander of the detention mission. “Essentially, people take turns not eating.

“Those abstaining from eating are not creating a security problem,” Lehnert said, “They are simply punishing themselves.”

So far, the military has been giving intravenous fluids to 18 men at the camp infirmary to treat them for dehydration or undernourishment. In at least two cases, the IVs were given forcibly because the detainees tried to resist, military officials said.

Those skipping meals have been set aside in a single cell block “so that their medical condition can be better evaluated,” Lehnert said.