Pentagon transfers 5 Yemenis from Guantanamo Bay to UAE

However, after threatening to veto the final draft of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) partly because it forbids the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the United States and tightens barriers to sending them to other countries, Obama caved.

So Obama is “redoubling” efforts against terrorism but simultaneously releasing Guantanamo Bay detainees – and then interring the release announcement in the midst of the Paris attack aftermath?

“There are a range of former secretaries of state who have served both Democratic and Republican presidents who have said that it would be clearly in the best interest of our country to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay”, he added.

The five detainees were captured near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in 2001, the Times reported, referencing leaked military documents.

“The United States coordinated with the government of the United Arab Emirates to ensure these transfers took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures”, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Most of the five men are described as low-level fighters in American military assessments. The prison is a recurring motif in jihadist literature, and an undersecretary of defense testified this year that Islamic State’s choice to clothe prisoners it executed in orange jumpsuits is believed to be a reference to the prison.

The Pentagon said in a statement that 107 detainees remain in the infamous USA prison.

U.S. President Barack Obama has been pushing since taking office in 2009 for the closure of the facility, but has faced opposition from Congress. He argues that keeping the 112 detainees remaining in the facility – including a few who have never had a trial – is unjust and expensive. The U.S. Congress has already passed a spending bill that would bar President Obama from moving Guantanamo detainees to the USA soil.

The other three men are: Khalid al-Qadasi, who is 46 or 47; Sulayman al Nahdi, 40; and Fahmi al Asani, 38.

They could not be sent to their homeland because Washington considers Yemen too unstable to accept prisoners from Guantanamo Bay.

The five Yemenis arrived from Cuba on Sunday after being held without charge for nearly 14 years in the U.S. detention centre.