Politics Guantanamo detaineesPoliticsreuters

Two Guantanamo Detainees Transferred To Saudi Arabia: Pentagon

Number Of Guantanamo Detainees Falls
Reuters
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GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA - JUNE 27: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been reviewed by the U.S. Military prior to transmission.) A Public Affairs Officer escorts media through the currently closed Camp X-Ray which was the first detention facility to hold 'enemy combatants' at the U.S. Naval Station on June 27, 2013 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.The U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, houses the American detention center for 'enemy combatants'. President Barack Obama has recently spoken again about closing the prison which has been used to hold prisoners from the invasion of Afghanistan and the war on terror since early 2002. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Monday it had transferred two detainees from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the custody of Saudi Arabia, reducing the number of inmates still held at the facility to 160.

In a statement, the Pentagon identified the transferred prisoners as Saad Muhammad Husayn Qahtani and Hamood Abdulla Hamood. Both were recommended for transfer in a 2009 review of their cases by a U.S. interagency task force.

Paul Lewis, the Defense Department's special envoy for closing the prison at Guantanamo, thanked the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for accepting the detainees and supporting U.S. efforts to close the prison.

"The United States coordinated with the government of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure these transfers took place with appropriate security assurances and in a way that is consistent with our humane treatment policy," Lewis said in the statement.

(Reporting by David Alexander Editing by W Simon)

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Before You Go

Inside Guantanamo Bay
(01 of15)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows the Guantanamo Bay Camp VI in Guantanamo, where 70 prisoners are detained, on Guantanamo October 23, 2010. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
(02 of15)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows the Guantanamo Bay Camp VI in Guantanamo, where 70 prisoners are detained, on Guantanamo October 23, 2010. (Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(03 of15)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows 'comfort items' given to the detainees: newspaper, games and one PS3 for the whole camp at Guantanamo Bay Camp VI in Guantanamo where 70 prisoners are detained on Guantanamo October 23, 2010. (Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(04 of15)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows a silence sign inside the Guantanamo Bay Camp VI in Guantanamo, where 70 prisoners are detained, on Guantanamo October 23, 2010. (Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(05 of15)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows a class area in the Guantanamo Bay Camp VI in Guantanamo, where 70 prisoners are detained, on Guantanamo October 23, 2010. (Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(06 of15)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows a cell in the Guantanamo Bay Camp VI in Guantanamo, where 70 prisoners are detained, on Guantanamo October 23, 2010. (Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(07 of15)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows a senior medical officer demonstrating how the detainees who refuse to eat are fed with a feeding tube in the hospital of the Guantanamo Bay Camp VI in Guantanamo. (Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(08 of15)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows Lieutenant Colonel Andrews McManus, deputy commander of the Joint detention group commander, inside the hospital for the detainees of the Camp VI in Guantanamo Bay. (Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(09 of15)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows a recreation area in Camp VI in Guantanamo Bay. (Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(10 of15)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows Camp VI in Guantanamo Bay. (Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(11 of15)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows Camp VI entrance in Guantanamo. (Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(12 of15)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows Camp VI in Guantanamo Bay. (Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(13 of15)
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Image has been reviewed by the U.S. Military prior to transmission.A U.S. military guard tower stands on the perimeter of a detainee camp at the U.S. detention center for 'enemy combatants' on September 16, 2010, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. With attempts by the Obama administration to close the facility stalled, some than 170 detainees remain at the detention center, which was opened by the Bush administration after the attacks of 9/11. The facility is run by Joint Task Force Guantanamo, located on the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay on the southeastern coast of Cuba. (John Moore/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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Photo reviewed by U.S. military officials shows Camp Justice, where the media is housed on Guantanamo, October 22, 2010. (Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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Image has been reviewed by the U.S. Military prior to transmission.A U.S. military guard tower stands on the perimeter of a detainee camp at the U.S. detention center for 'enemy combatants' on September 16, 2010, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (John Moore/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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