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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 told AFP.
The men had been recommended for transfer as early as January 2010, according to their leaked case files published by The New York Times. But bureaucratic hurdles and Yemen’s collapse into civil war meant the men could not be sent home.
The duo will be monitored and the Pentagon is confident they do not pose a threat, Ross said. They arrived in Ghana earlier Wednesday.
“There are security assurances that have been agreed on,” Ross 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.
According to his leaked file, Dhuby had lived his entire life in Saudi Arabia but claimed Yemeni citizenship. He was a “probable” member of Al-Qaeda and allegedly received militant training in Afghanistan. His file also states he “probably” engaged in hostile activities against coalition forces.
Atef’s file stated he was an admitted member of the Taliban and fought under Osama bin Laden’s 55th Arab Brigade. He allegedly participated in hostile actions against US and coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Source: THEGUARDIAN