The Biden administration has quietly sent 11 prisoners linked to Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden to Oman from Guantanamo Bay.
The Yemeni men had been held at the infamous Cuban facility for more than two decades without charge.
Two of the men were once Osama Bin Laden’s bodyguards, and all of the men were captured in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“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 Defense Department said in a statement. release.
“Although they were different processes, each of the Yemeni detainees underwent a thorough interagency review by career professionals who unanimously determined that all detainees were eligible for transfer consistent with the national security interests of the United States.”
It is the latest in a concerted effort by the Biden administration to clear Guantanamo Bay of such prisoners.
The transfer took place early on Monday morning as part of a covert operation to bring the men to Oman, where they will be resettled safely and smoothly.
It is unclear what the United States accepted or provided to Oman in exchange for taking the prisoners.
The Biden administration has quietly sent 11 prisoners linked to Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden to Oman from Guantanamo Bay.
The Yemeni men had been held at the infamous Cuban facility for more than two decades without charge.
Moath Hamza Ahmed al-Alwi and Suhayl Abdul Anam al Sharabi are alleged to have been bin Laden’s bodyguards, and al-Alwi is also an accused Al Queda fighter.
According to a 2020 intelligence file, al Sharabi “may have been associated with an aborted 9/11-style kidnapping plot in Southwest Asia.”
A separate intelligence file on al-Alwi from 2016 revealed that he “has made several statements since early 2016 that suggest he maintains an extremist mindset.”
The other men who have been released have been identified as: 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.
Two of the men were once Osama Bin Laden’s bodyguards, and all of the men were captured in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The sultanate of Oman, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, did not acknowledge receiving the prisoners early Tuesday. However, the key Western ally has taken in more than two dozen prisoners in the past since the prison’s founding.
The transfer announced Monday leaves six uncharged men still detained at Guantanamo, two inmates convicted and sentenced and seven others charged with the 2001 attacks, the 2000 USS Cole bombing and the Bali bombings. in 2002.
Of the 15 men remaining at Guantanamo Bay, three are eligible for transfer and another trio for review of their detention status.
This is a developing story. More to come.