The Biden administration released 11 Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Oman on Monday, marking another step toward the administration’s goal of closing the detention facility. These men, described by U.S. Department of Defense records as “former al-Qaeda members,” were captured after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Oman has agreed to resettle the former detainees and provide housing, employment assistance, and security monitoring. This decision follows the men being cleared for transfer by national security officials more than two years ago. Their transfer had been delayed due to heightened concerns following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, which led to increased instability in the Middle East.
The transfer is part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to reduce Guantanamo Bay’s detainee population. In recent weeks, the U.S. transferred four other detainees — a Kenyan, a Tunisian, and two Malaysians — and plans to transfer at least one more detainee, an Iraqi, in the coming days.
This is not the first time the Biden administration has released prisoners linked to terrorism. In June 2022, Assadullah Haroon Gul, an Afghan with connections to al-Qaeda, was released to his home country. Additionally, in March 2022, Mohammad Mani Ahmad al-Qahtani, implicated in the September 11 attacks, was transferred to Saudi Arabia after nearly 20 years in detention.
President Biden has long expressed his intent to close Guantanamo Bay, a goal he aims to achieve before leaving office. As of this week, the detention facility holds fewer than 30 detainees, down from its peak of 780 in the early 2000s.
The transfer of these detainees has sparked concern among national security experts, given their past affiliations with al-Qaeda and the potential for recidivism. Oman has committed to monitoring the former detainees as they attempt to reintegrate into society.
