TWO GUANTANAMO DETAINEES TRANSFERRED TO GHANA: PENTAGON

Washington, 27 Rabi’ul Awwal 1437/7 January 2016 (MINA) – The Pentagon said on Wednesday that two Guantanamo Bay detainees have been transferred from the US military prison to Ghana, bringing the controversial facility’s remaining inmates down to 105.

Mahmud Umar Muhammad bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih al-Dhuby, both from Yemen, are the first detainees to be sent anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa, Pentagon spokesman Commander Gary Ross said, International Islamic News Agency (IINA) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The duo, who arrived in Ghana earlier on Wednesday, will be monitored and the Pentagon is confident they do not pose a threat, Ross said.

“There are security assurances that have been agreed on,” he said, without giving details.

“The United States is grateful to the government of Ghana for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

Ghana’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday the two “have been cleared of any involvement in any terrorist activities” but are unable to return to Yemen. It added that they will be able to leave the country after two years.

It is worth mentioning that both detainees spent close to 14 years at the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay. (T/P006/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)