The U.S. Defense Department on Monday transferred 11 Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Oman, reducing the population at the facility to just 15 inmates, The Hill reported.
The move aligns with President Joe Biden's efforts to close the site, which once held 800 detainees and has drawn international condemnation for allegations of torture and indefinite detention.
According to a Pentagon statement, the detainees were approved for transfer after thorough reviews by an interagency board that determined their relocation was consistent with U.S. national security interests.
The review process involved career professionals evaluating each case independently. One detainee's transfer was authorized in 2009 during President Barack Obama's administration.
Among those transferred was 51-year-old Sharqawi Al Hajj, who spent 21 years at Guantanamo without being charged with a crime. His case attracted attention due to his inclusion in a Senate intelligence report detailing alleged abuses by the CIA. Al Hajj spent more than two years in CIA custody before being sent to Guantanamo in 2004.
Pardiss Kebriaei, a senior attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represented Al Hajj, welcomed the news.
"His release is hopeful for him and for us," Kebriaei said. "We are grateful to Oman and to everyone whose work and advocacy paved the way for this moment."
Efforts to wind down Guantanamo Bay began under the Obama administration, which aimed to close the facility entirely. The Biden administration has followed this trajectory, but challenges remain.
Of the 15 detainees still held at the site, six have never been charged. Three are awaiting release, while the remaining three await clearance.
High-profile detainees, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and four of his alleged co-conspirators are among those still at the facility. Four of the men are expected to stand trial this week.
A 2022 plea agreement for Mohammed and three others, which included life sentences, was revoked by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. However, a recent military appeals court ruling determined Austin had no authority to void the deal.
The Pentagon transferred a detainee to Tunisia in December, but it remains unclear whether the Biden administration intends to further reduce the detainee population before leaving office.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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