Under former President George W. Bush, however, large transfers were more frequent. Many regard the remaining detainees as likely the most risky, since the administration has long since freed or transferred detainees viewed as low-threat.
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Two of the Afghan prisoners – Mohammed Kamin and Obaidallah, who only has one name – had been briefly charged in a military commission, The Miami Herald reports.
Still, the latest detainees to be transferred in most part had been held without charge for some 14 years at Guantanamo.
The transfer of 15 Guantanamo detainees transferred to the United Arab Emirates on Monday marked the largest single transfer of detainees to take place during the Obama administration.
USA officials said in its announcement that 15 detainees – 12 from Yemen and three from Afghanistan – were transferred Monday to the United Arab Emirates, an American ally that agreed to receive the inmates.
Mr Obama urgently wants to close the facility before he leaves office at the start of next year, but he has been continually thwarted by Republican lawmakers.
The U.S. government has transferred 15 Guantanamo Bay detainees to the UAE, an order for such a massive transfer was received on Monday.
“Once again, hardened terrorists are being released to foreign countries where they will be a threat”, Royce said in a statement.
“The Clinton-Obama plan to close Gitmo and release terrorists will harm America’s national security”, the campaign said.
While Obama’s plan for shuttering the facility calls for bringing the several dozen remaining prisoners to maximum-security prisons in the United States, U.S. law bars such transfers to the mainland. “Closing Guantanamo would be a sign of strength and resolve”, Clinton said in a February statement.
“It weakens the USA government’s hand in arguing against torture and indefinite detention”, she said.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the men will still be detained in the UAE. The man, identified only as Obaidullah, was captured by USA special forces in July 2002 and allegedly admitted to acquiring and planting anti-tank mines to target US and other coalition forces in eastern Afghanistan.
Obama has pushed for more transfers, despite resistance from the Congress and within the Pentagon. He said the detention centre serves only to stoke anti-US resentment and fuel recruitment of Islamic militants.
The news of Obama transferring more detainees back to the Middle East is troubling considering what Sen.
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In the latest case of “while you were sleeping”, President Obama sneakily got closer to his goal of shutting down Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo).
