GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA — After spending years in the remote Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, 15 detainees were transferred to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday.
After 9/11, the U.S. rounded up suspected terrorists and put them in Guantanamo Bay. From the nearly 800 prisoners held there during its peak, the population of the detention center has now dwindled to 61, reports Reuters.
The latest count came after 12 Yemenis and three Afghans were transferred via cargo plane to the UAE. According to the Wall Street Journal, the 15 newly transferred men will stay in a rehabilitation facility in the UAE to de-radicalize them, until authorities believe they can be released at minimum risk.
Former Guantanamo detainees have been resettled in 29 other countries at the request of the Obama administration, according to the Miami Herald. President Obama aims to close the prison before he leaves office, but whether or not this will actually happen remains to be seen, and could depend on who wins the November elections.
