The entrance to Camp Justice at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, shown in this file photo dated October 24, 2013.
Washington:
The Pentagon said on Monday that it had transferred two detainees from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the custody of Saudi Arabia, reducing the number of inmates still held at the facility to 160.
In a statement, the Pentagon identified the transferred prisoners as Saad Muhammad Husayn Qahtani and Hamood Abdulla Hamood. Both were recommended for transfer in a 2009 review of their cases by a U.S. inter-agency task force.
Paul Lewis, the Defense Department's special envoy for closing the prison at Guantanamo, thanked the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for accepting the detainees and supporting U.S. efforts to close the prison.
"The United States coordinated with the government of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure these transfers took place with appropriate security assurances and in a way that is consistent with our humane treatment policy," Lewis said in the statement.
In a statement, the Pentagon identified the transferred prisoners as Saad Muhammad Husayn Qahtani and Hamood Abdulla Hamood. Both were recommended for transfer in a 2009 review of their cases by a U.S. inter-agency task force.
Paul Lewis, the Defense Department's special envoy for closing the prison at Guantanamo, thanked the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for accepting the detainees and supporting U.S. efforts to close the prison.
"The United States coordinated with the government of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure these transfers took place with appropriate security assurances and in a way that is consistent with our humane treatment policy," Lewis said in the statement.
© Thomson Reuters 2013
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