The Pentagon announced over the weekend the release of several detainees from Guantanamo Bay, bringing the population at the notorious prison camp down to 107.
According to a Department of Defense press release on Sunday, five individuals were transferred to the custody of the United Arab Emirates after each had been cleared for release by an interagency government review board.
The ongoing detention of Ali Ahmad Muhammad al-Razihi, Khalid Abd-al-Jabbar Muhammad Uthman al-Qadasi, Adil Said al-Hajj Ubayd al-Busays, Sulayman Awad Bin Uqayl al-Nahdi, and Fahmi Salem Said al-Asani was “not necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States,” according to the Pentagon.
None of the individuals were charged with any crime during their detention.
The department thanked the government of the United Arab Emirates for its “willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility,” and claimed that the transfers “took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.”
The administration is expected in the coming days to release a plan to Congress outlining how it intends to close the military prison.
