Biden releases 11 al-Qaida-linked prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay
Without fanfare and almost no notifications, Joe Biden has released 11 al-Qaida-linked prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay to relative freedom in Oman, according to a Daily Mail report.
Two of them had been bodyguards for Osama Bin Laden, killed by American forces after he masterminded the 9/11 terrorism against the United States that killed thousands, and all of them were taken into custody in the aftermath of those attacks.
The Yemeni prisoners suspected of terrorism had been held in custody for years without charges.
A Defense Department statement said, “The United States appreciates the willingness of the government of Oman and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility.”
The statement said the “detainees” went through reviews by “professionals” who determined they were eligible for transfer “consistent with the national security interests of the United States.”
The report explained it was “the latest salvo – and potentially the last – in a concerted effort from the Biden administration to clear Guantanamo Bay of such prisoners.”
The transfer was part of a “covert operation” to get the detainees to Oman where they will be “resettled.”
The report said they were not returned to their home country, Yemen, because of its civil war.
According to the report, two suspects, Moath Hamza Ahmed al-Alwi and Suhayl Abdul Anam al Sharabi, both were accused of being bin Laden’s bodyguards. And Alwi was thought to be an al-Qaida fighter.
“A separate intelligence file on al-Alwi from 2016 revealed he “has made several statements since early 2016 that suggest he maintains an extremist mindset,'” the report said.
Others given freedom were: Uthman Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Uthman, Khalid Ahmed Qassim, Hani Saleh Rashid Abdullah, Tawfiq Nasir Awad Al-Bihani, Omar Mohammed Ali al-Rammah, Sanad Ali Yislam Al Kazimi, Hassan Muhammad Ali Bib Attash, Sharqawi Abdu Ali Al Hajj and Abd Al-Salam Al-Hilah.
The report said the move leaves about 15 inmates still at Guantanamo, with cases in various stages.
The facility, set up by President George W. Bush in 2002 as part of the fight against terror, once held 800 prisoners. The inmates are not brought onto U.S. soil, where they would have access to the U.S. justice system.
Barack Obama promised to shut it down, but had two terms in office to accomplish that and failed.