On Sunday morning, the Pentagon announced that six Guantánamo Bay detainees have been sent to Uruguay to be resettled. The men — Ahmed Adnan Ahjam, Ali Hussain Shaabaan, Omar Mahmoud Faraj, Abdul Bin Mohammed Abis Ourgy, Mohammed Tahanmatan, and Jihad Diyab — had been held in Cuba without trial for more than 12 years.
The New York Times reports that all six of the detainees were recommended for release in 2009, but they could not be sent home because their native countries are too unstable. (The group consists of four Syrians, one Tunisian, and one .) Uruguay’s president, José Mujica, agreed to take them in March, though Uruguay’s presidential election and some stalling on the party of soon-to-be former secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel delayed the transfer until now. From the Times:
Now President Obama only has 136 inmates left to deal with before he can achieve his stated goal of closing Guantánamo.
