Fifteen inmates are sent from Guantanamo Bay to the UAE as Obama continues push to shut down the controversial camp before he leaves office
- Twelve Yemeni nationals and three Afghans transferred to the UAE
- Pentagon says 61 detainees remain at Guantanamo, opened in 2002
- According to Amnesty, one detainee said he was 'tortured' in US custody
- Once transferred, inmates are usually freed subject to supervision
Fifteen prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention center were sent to the United Arab Emirates in the single largest release of detainees during the Obama administration, the Pentagon announced yesterday.
The transfer of 12 Yemeni nationals and three Afghans to the UAE comes as President Obama is seeking to reduce the number of detainees at the prison in Cuba.
The Pentagon says 61 detainees now remain at Guantanamo, which was opened in January 2002 to hold foreign fighters suspected of links to the Taliban or Al-Qaeda.
Fifteen prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention center were sent to the United Arab Emirates in the single largest release of detainees during the Obama administration, the Pentagon announced yesterday
The Yemeni nationals transferred to the UAE include Zahir Umar Hamis bin Hamdun, alleged to be an Al-Qaeda weapons and explosives trainer operating in Afghanistan.
A Pentagon profile from September 2015 said he expressed dislike of the US, which they identified as 'an emotion that probably is motivated more by frustration over his continuing detention than by a commitment to global jihad' .
Also listed was Muhammad Ahmad Said Al Adahi, labelled a chief of Bin Laden's security force in Kandahar in a leaked military document.
Once transferred, former inmates are usually freed subject to supervision and undergoing rehabilitation programs.
During the Bush administration, 532 prisoners were released from Guantanamo, often in large groups to Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.
The latest batch of released prisoners had been held without charge at Guantanamo, some for over 14 years.
The transfer of 12 Yemeni nationals and three Afghans to the UAE comes as President Obama is seeking to reduce the number of detainees at the prison in Cuba
They were cleared for release by the Periodic Review Board, comprised of representatives from six US government agencies.
The UAE successfully resettled five detainees transferred there last year, according to the Pentagon.
Lee Wolosky, the State Department's special envoy for Guantanamo's closure, said the US was grateful to the United Arab Emirates for accepting the latest group of 15 men and helping pave the way for the detention center's closure.
'The continued operation of the detention facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners, and emboldening violent extremists,' Wolosky said.
Obama has been seeking to close the detention center amid opposition from Congress, which has prohibited transferring detainees to the US for any reason.
The administration has been working with other countries to resettle detainees who have been cleared for transfer.
Naureen Shah, Amnesty International USA's director of national security and human rights, said the transfers announced Monday are a 'powerful sign that President Obama is serious about closing Guantanamo before he leaves office'.
The Pentagon says 61 detainees now remain at Guantanamo, which was opened in January 2002 to hold foreign fighters suspected of links to the Taliban or the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization
US Representative Ed Royce, a Republican from California who is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the Obama administration for recent releases, portraying the freed detainees as 'hardened terrorists'.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence says five percent of Guantanamo prisoners released since Obama took office have re-engaged in militant activities and an additional eight percent are suspected of doing so.
That compares with 21 percent confirmed and 14 percent suspected during the Bush administration.
According to Amnesty, one of the Afghans released to the UAE alleged that he was 'tortured and subjected to other cruel treatment' while in US military custody.
The Yemeni nationals transferred to the UAE include Zahir Umar Hamis bin Hamdun, identified as an Al-Qaeda weapons and explosives trainer in Afghanistan in a Guantanamo report
The man, identified only as Obaidullah, was captured by US special forces in July 2002 and allegedly admitted to acquiring and planting anti-tank mines to target US and other coalition forces in eastern Afghanistan.
In clearing him for transfer, the review board said he has not expressed any anti-US sentiment or intent to re-engage in militant activities.
However, a Pentagon profile from last year also said he provided little information and they had little 'insight into his current mindset.'
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment