The United States has sent 11 Yemeni detainees at the Guantánamo Bay detention center to Oman, the Pentagon said on Monday, in a major resettlement that slashes the prisoner population to just 15 people.
“The United States appreciates the willingness of the government of Oman and other partners to support ongoing US efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantánamo Bay facility,” the US military said in a statement.
The facility, constructed on a US naval base in south-eastern Cuba following the “war on terror”, has drawn international condemnation throughout its existence since becoming a symbol of post-9/11 human rights abuses. Its critics have long highlighted concerns over indefinite detention without trial and controversial interrogation methods.
Throughout its 22-year history, an estimated 780 people have passed through Guantánamo’s cells.
More details soon …