The Biden administration on Monday agreed to help Oman resettle 11 Yemeni detainees held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in a controversial effort to depopulate the military facility. They announced that they would be transferred.
All men were captured in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and held for more than 20 years without charge or trial, The New York Times reported.
“The United States is committed to supporting the Omani government and others in supporting the United States' continued efforts focused on responsibly reducing the number of detainees and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility,” the Pentagon said in a statement. We appreciate the willingness of our partners.”
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This photo, confirmed by U.S. military officials, shows the control tower at the Camp VI detention facility at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on April 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
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The 11 detainees were identified as: Usman Abd Al Rahim Muhammad Usman, Moas Hamza Ahmed Alwi, Khalid Ahmed Qassim, Suhail Abdul Anam Al Sharabi, Hani Saleh Rashid Abdullah , Tawfik Nasir Awad Al-Bihani, Omar Mohammed Ali Al-Lamma, Sanad Ali Islam Al-Kazimi, Hassan Muhammad Ali Bib Atash, Sharqawi Abd Ali Al-Hajj, Abd Al- Salam al-Hira.
Detainees prepare for evening prayers as they head toward Mecca at Camp X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, March 4, 2002. (Peter Muley/AFP via Getty Images)
The transfer occurred in a covert operation early Monday morning, days before Guantanamo's most notorious prisoner, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is scheduled to plead guilty to planning the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in exchange. It was carried out as part of the A life sentence is preferable to a death penalty trial, the Times reported.
The move has been in the works for about three years, after initial plans to move in October 2023 ran into opposition from members of Congress.
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In this April 17, 2019 image, the control tower inside the Camp VI detention facility at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is visible through razor wire. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Officials have not said why they handed over the detainees to Oman, one of America's staunchest allies in the Middle East, or what they gave the host country.
Among the men being transferred was Shakawi al-Hajj, who had repeatedly gone on hunger strikes and been hospitalized at Guantanamo to protest his 21-year sentence in prison.
The releases bring the total number of men held at Guantánamo to just 15, the lowest number since 2002, when the camp became a detention center for men from around the world arrested in connection with the “war on terror.” It became.
With this transfer, six unindicted men are still being held at Guantanamo, two convicted and sentenced inmates, and seven others, including those involved in the 2001 attack, the 2000 USS Cole bombing, and the 2002 He was indicted in connection with the 2011 Bali bombings.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammad is being held at Guantanamo Bay. (Getty Images)
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Most of the people at Guantanamo are from war-torn Yemen, which is now controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
