Washington: The United States appeared set on Friday to repatriate a group of Yemenis held at Guantanamo Bay,
perhaps paving the way for the removal of one of the biggest
obstacles in shutting down the prison.
Ninety-seven of the 210 detainees still held at the "war
on terror" prison in Cuba are from Yemen, but US officials
fear the country lacks the security resources to ensure that
Guantanamo returnees will not join militant groups.
Six Yemenis and four Afghans would be released from the
controversial detention camp on the southern tip of Cuba in
the coming days, said a report in the Washington Post, citing
sources close to the case.
In Sanaa, a senior official in the Yemeni foreign
ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the
report and said the repatriation would happen in "the coming
days."
There was no immediate US government confirmation and a
Yemeni source in Washington said there "is no final decision
on the subject."
This second Yemeni source, who also spoke on condition
of anonymity, had a different number of prisoners being
released. "I was aware of four," the source said on Friday.
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First Published: Saturday, December 19, 2009, 00:44