Biden Administration's Largest Guantanamo Transfer: 11 Yemeni Detainees Moved to Oman in Final Weeks

Jan 6, 2025, 11:43 PM

In its final weeks, the Biden administration has transferred 11 Yemeni detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to Oman, marking the largest single transfer during its tenure. The move, announced by the Pentagon, reduces the number of detainees at Guantanamo to 15, the lowest since the facility opened in 2002. None of the transferred men had been charged with crimes during their over two decades of detention, having been captured following the 9/11 attacks. The transfer is part of ongoing efforts to reduce the detainee population and ultimately close the facility. Among those transferred are Moath al-Alwi, known for his artwork, and Shaqawi al Hajj, who had engaged in hunger strikes to protest his detention after spending time in CIA custody. The detainees were cleared for transfer by federal national-security review panels, and the U.S. expressed gratitude to Oman for its cooperation, as Yemen's instability precluded their return.