US transfers two brothers detained in Guantanamo Bay to Pakistan

The US transferred two brothers detained at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to Pakistan, the Protection Division introduced Thursday, a part of the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to shut the jail facility.

Abdul Rabbani and Mohammed Rabbani had been held as detainees within the US’ decadeslong conflict in opposition to terror for working protected homes utilized by al Qaeda members, together with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the 9/11 assaults.

The brothers, who had been by no means charged with a criminal offense, had been repatriated to Pakistan after it was decided that their detention was now not wanted to guard in opposition to a “persevering with, important menace” to america, the Protection Division stated in an announcement.

“America appreciates the willingness of the Authorities of Pakistan and different companions to assist ongoing U.S. efforts centered on responsibly decreasing the detainee inhabitants and in the end closing the Guantanamo Bay facility,” the Pentagon stated.

Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin had notified Congress in January of his intent to repatriate the Rabbani brothers to Pakistan.

Their switch comes after the Pentagon introduced the switch of one other Guantanamo prisoner, Majid Khan, to Belize earlier this month. Khan was convicted of terrorism offenses in 2012 and accomplished his sentence.

Khan lived within the US from 1996 to early 2002 and was suspected of aiding al Qaeda in planning assaults on the US and elsewhere. Authorities believed he joined al Qaeda after the assaults on September 11, 2001.

There are at the moment 32 detainees remaining at Guantanamo Bay, 18 of whom are eligible for switch, in keeping with the Protection Division.

So as to shut the jail, President Joe Biden would wish to maneuver all 32 detainees to different prisons or areas. When former President Barack Obama wished to strive the 5 accused of plotting 9/11 in New York Metropolis, he confronted swift public and political backlash.

Obama additionally promised to close Guantanamo when he campaigned for the White Home, establishing the workplace of navy commissions and the Periodic Evaluate Board system throughout his tenure, however failed to shut the jail throughout his eight years in workplace.

Initially opened in 2002, the ability was meant to be a spot the place suspects within the conflict on terror might be interrogated. However prisoners have been indefinitely detained, many with out expenses or trial and subjected to reported abuse. Because the US conflict on terror dragged on, the detention facility grew to become a global image of US rights abuses within the post-9/11 period.