Haiti: Fifteen prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre were sent to the United Arab Emirates in the single largest release of detainees during the Obama administration, the Pentagon announced. The transfer of 12 Yemeni nationals and three Afghans to the UAE comes amid a renewed push to cut down the number of detainees held at the US prison in Cuba that President Barack Obama aims to close. 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-Qaida.
The latest batch of released prisoners had been held without charge at Guantanamo, some for over 14 years. 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 UAE for accepting the latest group of 15 men and helping pave the way for the detention centre’s closure. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence says 5 per cent of Guantanamo prisoners released since Obama took office have re-engaged in militant activities.
