Mere hours after congress requested that the Obama administration refrain from releasing Gitmo prisoners from Yemen after it was revealed that Yemeni Al-Queda was behind the Islamic attacks in Paris on Charlie Hebdo, it was announced that FIVE Yemeni terrorists will be released.
This time, four have been transferred to Oman and one to Estonia. Here’s the press release announcing the release to Oman:
Detainee Transfer Announced
The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Al Khadr Abdallah Muhammad Al Yafi, Fadel Hussein Saleh Hentif, Abd Al-Rahman Abdullah Au Shabati, and Mohammed Ahmed Salam from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to Oman.
As directed by the president’s Jan. 22, 2009, executive order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of this case. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, these men were unanimously approved for transfer by the six departments and agencies comprising the task force.
In accordance with statutory requirements, the secretary of defense informed Congress of the United States’ intent to transfer these individuals and of his determination that this transfer meets the statutory standard.
The United States is grateful to the Government of Oman for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The United States coordinated with the Government of Oman to ensure these transfers took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.
Today, 122 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.
Key Senate Republicans on Tuesday unveiled legislation that would effectively block President Barack Obama from fulfilling his pledge to close the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, before he leaves office in two years.
The legislation from Sens. Kelly Ayotte, John McCain, Richard Burr and Lindsey Graham would prohibit for two years the transfer to the United States of detainees designated medium- or high-risk. It would also ban transfers to Yemen, where dozens of the 122 remaining Guantánamo detainees are from.
Any transfers to Yemen — where one of the Paris terror suspects traveled in 2011 — would be shut down for two years.
Obama has pushed to close the detention facility since his inauguration in 2009. However, opponents say that Guantanamo is the best location for terror suspects since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
“Now is not the time to be emptying Guantanamo,” Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., said at a news conference hours before the latest transfers were announced, during which she warned of fresh terrorist threats.