Detainee Transfer Announced
The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Idris Ahmad 'Abd Al Qadir Idris, Sharaf Ahmad Muhammad Mas'ud, Jalal Salam Awad Awad, Saa'd Nasser Moqbil Al Azani, Emad Abdallah Hassan, and Muhammad Ali Salem Al Zarnuki 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 comprehensive reviews of each of these cases. As a result of that review process, 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, 116 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.
THE BAD NEWS IS THAT THIS IS NOT APPARENTLY A SIGN OF MORE RELEASES TO COME:
AP story on Oman transfers:
The U.S. administration official, speaking on a
condition of anonymity without authorization to go on the record, said the
Pentagon has sent no further transfer notification to Congress, which is
required 30 days before detainees can be moved.
The break in the six-month lull in transfers
does not appear to signal the start of any flurry of releases. According to
officials familiar with Guantánamo policy, no further transfers are imminent,
and the weekend releases were not a new decision but a leftover piece of a deal
negotiated last year, when Oman agreed to accept 10 men. Four Yemeni detainees
were resettled in Oman in January.
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