WASHINGTON — The Pentagon announced Saturday that four detainees have been sent home to Afghanistan from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of the U.S. government’s ongoing release of former terrorism suspects who have been held for years.
Shawali Khan, Khi Ali Gul, Abdul Ghani, and Mohammed Zahir are the latest identified prisoners to be released from the prison, the Pentagon said, adding: “The United States is grateful to the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.”
The release follows a comprehensive review by a Guantanamo task force that examines factors including security. The men were unanimously approved for release, the Pentagon said.
132 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.
Obama pledged to close Guantanamo with his first executive order in 2009 and began a case-by-case review to determine which foreign detainees could be prosecuted, which should be released or transferred, and which should remain imprisoned.
