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The Biden administration announced the transfer of the 11 on Monday Yemeni detainees held at a US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to Oman, which has agreed to help resettle them, amid moves to reduce the population at the controversial military facility.
All the men were captured after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and were held for more than two decades without charge or trial, the New York Times reported.
“The United States appreciates the willingness of the Government of Oman and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detention population and ultimately closing the Gulf facilities. Guantánamo,” he said. Department of Defense he said in a statement.
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In this photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, the control tower of the Camp VI detention center is seen on April 17, 2019 at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.
The 11 arrested were identified as: Uthman Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Uthman, Moath Hamza Ahmed al-Alwi, Khalid Ahmed Qassim, Suhayl Abdul Anam al Sharabi, Hani Saleh Rashid Abdullah, Tawfiq Nasir Awad Al-Bihani, Omar Mohammed Ali al- Rammahmed , Sanad Ali Yislam Al Kazimi, Hassan Muhammad Ali Bib Attash, Sharqawi Abdu Ali Al Hajj and Abd Al-Salam Al-Hilah.
Detainees prepare for evening prayers on March 4, 2002 at Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba looking toward Mecca. (PETER MUHLY/AFP via Getty Images)
The transfer was carried out as part of a covert operation early Monday morning, days before Guantanamo’s most notorious prisoner, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, pleaded guilty to masterminding the 9/11 attacks. 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people in return. for life in prison rather than face a trial with the death penalty, the Times reported.
The move had been in the works for about three years after an initial plan to carry out the transfer in October 2023 faced opposition from congressional legislators.
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In this April 17, 2019 file photo, the control tower is seen through the razor wire inside the Camp VI detention center at Guantanamo Naval Base, Cuba. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Authorities did not say why the detainees were handed over to Oman, one of America’s most stable allies in the Middle East, or what it did to the host country.
Among the men in the latest transfer was Shaqawi al-Hajj, who had endured repeated hunger strikes and hospitalizations at Guantánamo to protest his 21-year prison sentence.
With the release, the total number of men held at Guantánamo is just 15, the fewest since 2002, when it became a detention facility to house men from around the world arrested in connection with the “War against terrorism”.
The transfer leaves six uncharged men still held at Guantánamo, two convicted and sentenced prisoners, and seven others charged in the 2001 attacks, the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and the 2002 Bali bombings.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammad is being held at Guantanamo Bay. (Getty Images)
Most of those in Guantánamo are from Yemena country ravaged by war and now dominated by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
