Nine inmates released from Guantanamo

The US has transferred nine Yemeni prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba to Saudi Arabia, officials say. The Saudis agreed to take the prisoners because Yemen was considered too unstable for them to return them to. The transfer leaves 80 prisoners at the US military jail – most of whom have been […]

The US has transferred nine Yemeni prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba to Saudi Arabia, officials say.
The Saudis agreed to take the prisoners because Yemen was considered too unstable for them to return them to.
The transfer leaves 80 prisoners at the US military jail – most of whom have been held without charge or trial for more than a decade.
President Obama wants to close the prison before he leaves office.
The the transfer of the nine has been a long sought-after deal between Washington and Riyadh and comes just days before President Obama touches down in Saudi Arabia for a summit of Gulf Arab allies.
The move is part of a push to release detainees deemed low-risk. The White House wants to transfer the remainder to the US but Congress is opposed.
The White House in February presented a plan to Congress to close the Guantanamo Bay – which costs $445m (£316m) to run annually.