Guantanamo detainees sent to Afghanistan
The US said today it had transferred five detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Afghanistan.
A written statement from the Pentagon did not say why the detainees were “released” and did not disclose their identity or home country.
In earlier releases, the military has said detainees were freed because they no longer were considered enemy combatants.
The Pentagon said the latest releases came after “multiple review processes” at Guantanamo.
In all, 315 detainees have been sent from Guantanamo to other governments, including Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain and Britain.
About 445 detainees remain at Guantanamo, including 115 considered eligible for transfer or release. Such decisions are based on talks between the US and other nations.
The US began using the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in eastern Cuba in January 2002 to hold people suspected of links to al-Qaida or the Taliban. Defence officials said they expect the transfers or releases to continue.
