The Biden administration said Monday it has transferred a detainee from the Guantanamo Bay detention center back to his native country of Morocco, cutting the total number of prisoners at the controversial site to 39.
Pentagon officials said Abdul Latif Nasir, captured by U.S. forces during the early years of the war on terror, no longer needed to be housed at the facility. It’s the first transfer of a Guantanamo prisoner since President Biden took office in January.
Nasir’s case had been under review for a decade, officials said, as part of a much broader effort started by former President Obama to dramatically reduce the number of Guantanamo detainees. The Defense Department’s Periodic Review Board (PRC) ultimately found in 2016 that it was no longer necessary to hold Nasir at the facility in Cuba.
“In 2016, the Periodic Review Board process determined that law of war detention of Abdul Latif Nasir no longer remained necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the national security of the United States,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “Therefore, the PRB recommended that Nasir be authorized for repatriation to his native country of Morocco, subject to security and humane treatment assurances. The steps necessary to effectuate the repatriation were unable to be completed prior to the end of the Obama administration.”
“The United States commends the Kingdom of Morocco for its long-time partnership in securing both countries’ national security interests.” the Pentagon said. “The United States is also extremely grateful for the Kingdom’s willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility.”
There are now 39 detainees at the site, which has become a major financial burden for the U.S. as its prisoners age and require more extensive medical care. Mr. Obama failed to shutter the facility despite his campaign promises, though he did shrink the population from 245 to 41.
Former President Trump, meanwhile, said he would fill Guantanamo with Islamic State terrorists and other “bad dudes” captured around the world. But he did not follow through on that promise. The Guantanamo population held steady during his presidency.
Efforts to close the prison have been revived under Mr. Biden. The president also has ended U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan — where many Guantanamo prisoners were captured by U.S. forces — after 20 years of war.
Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill have mounted a renewed push to cut funding for Guantanamo and effectively force it to close. Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee earlier this month released a draft defense budget that eliminates funding for the prison by the fall of 2022.
The push to close Guantanamo has divided lawmakers for years. While many argue the facility has become too expensive and in some corners of the world serves as a recruitment tool for extremists, others argue that the several dozen combatants left there are simply too dangerous to release.
• Joseph Clark contributed to this report.