US transfers six Guantanamo detainees to Oman

Six Yemeni inmates are relocated as the US president attempts to close the jail before his second term ends


A 2002 photo of Guantanamo military base in Cuba (AFP)

MEE and agencies
Saturday 13 June 2015 10:30 BST
Last update:
Saturday 13 June 2015 11:52 BST

Washington has transferred six inmates from its Guantanamo Bay prison to Oman, the Pentagon said on Saturday, as part of a drive by President Barack Obama to close the controversial jail.

"The United States is grateful to the government of Oman for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility," a statement said.

It named the six men as Idris Ahmad Abd Al Qadir Idris, Sharaf Ahmad Muhammad Masud, Jalal Salam Awad Awad, Saad Nasser Moqbil Al Azani, Emad Abdallah Hassan and Muhammad Ali Salem Al Zarnuki.

The Omani foreign ministry said all six were Yemeni.

The move comes weeks after US and UK diplomats held talks with leaders of Yemen's Houthi movement who have captured large swathes of territory in the country since last year.

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