MIAMI — A U.S. military spokesman says the number of prisoners on hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay has held steady for nearly a week.

Army Lt. Col. Samuel House says 100 of the 166 men held at the U.S. base in Cuba are classified as hunger strikers as of Friday. Of those on strike, 23 are being force-fed liquid nutrients to prevent starvation. Four are in the detainee hospital for observation.

The military classifies a prisoner as a hunger striker based on criteria that include weight and the number of meals refused. Lawyers for prisoners have disputed the military's tally since the strike began in February as a protest of conditions and indefinite confinement at Guantanamo.

The official figure had been climbing until April 27 when it hit 100 for the first time.