The Biden administration transfers 11 Guantanamo prisoners to Amman

On Monday, the Biden administration announced the transfer of 11 Yemeni detainees Detainees at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been sent to Oman, which has agreed to help resettle them, amid steps to reduce the population at the controversial military facility.

The New York Times reported that all of the men were arrested following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and held for more than two decades without being charged or brought to trial.

He added, “The United States appreciates the willingness of the government of the Sultanate of Oman and other partners to support ongoing American efforts that focus on responsibly reducing the number of detainees and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center.” Ministry of Defense He said in a statement.

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In this photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, the control tower is seen at Detention Camp VI on April 17, 2019, at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.

The 11 detainees were identified as: Uthman Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Uthman, Moath Hamza Ahmed al-Alwi, Khalid Ahmed Qassim, Suhayl Abdul Anam al Sharabi, 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.

Detainees prepare for evening prayer on March 4, 2002 at Camp X-ray in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, heading toward Mecca. (Peter Muhly/AFP via Getty Images)

The transfer was carried out as part of a covert operation in the early morning on Monday, days before Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Guantanamo’s worst prisoner, pleaded guilty to planning the September 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in return. He was sentenced to life in prison rather than facing the death penalty, The Times reported.

The move has been in the works for almost three years after the initial plan to make the move in October 2023 faced opposition from Lawmakers in Congress.

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In this photo taken on April 17, 2019, a control tower is visible through razor wire inside the Camp VI detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The authorities did not explain why the detainees were handed over to Oman, one of the most stable US allies in the Middle East, or what it provided to the host country.

Among the men included in the latest transfer was Shaqawi Al-Hajj, who underwent repeated hunger strikes and was hospitalized at Guantanamo in protest after spending 21 years in prison.

Their release brings the total number of men detained at Guantanamo to just 15, the lowest number since 2002, the year the prison was converted into a detention site to house men from around the world captured in connection with the “war on terror.”

The transfer leaves six never-charged men still held at Guantanamo, two convicted and sentenced prisoners, and seven others accused of the 2001 attacks, the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, and the 2002 Bali bombings.