Biden Administration sends 11 Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo to Oman, leaving the naval base with only 15 prisoners

Joe Biden's administration announced Monday the transfer of 11 Yemeni prisoners to Oman detained at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

According to a Department of Defense statement, the U.S. agreed to help resettle the prisoners amid an effort by the Biden administration to bring back an old Obama-era policy and reduce the population at the military facility.

"The United States appreciates the willingness of the government of Oman and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility," the Department of Defense said in a statement.

The 11 detainees were identified as: Uthman Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Uthman, Moath Hamza Ahmed al-Alwi, Khalid Ahmed Qassim, Suhayl Abdul Anam al Sharabi, Hani Saleh Rashid Abdullah, Tawfiq Nasir Awad Al-Bihani, Omar Mohammed Ali al-Rammah, Sanad Ali Yislam Al Kazimi, Hassan Muhammad Ali Bib Attash, Sharqawi Abdu Ali Al Hajj and Abd Al-Salam Al-Hilah.

All of the men released were captured after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, during the U.S. war on terror. All prisoners were held for more than two decades without charge or trial.

According to the New York Times, while little is known about Oman's rehabilitation program for prisoners, the country has become an attractive destination for former detainees.

The government did not explain why Oman was chosen to receive the 11 prisoners, but it is a fact that the country stands out as one of the United States' most reliable and stable allies in the Middle East, positioning it as a key destination for the U.S. government to follow up on the detainees' reintegration.

Oman most likely received benefits from the U.S. for receiving the prisoners.

The transfer, according to the NYT, was carried out as part of a secret operation early Monday morning, days before Guantanamo's most famous prisoner, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, was scheduled to plead guilty to planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed managed to avoid a death penalty trial in exchange for a life sentence. 

With the release of the eleven detainees, the total number of men held at Guantanamo is only 15.

The transfer, which had been in the works for several years and faced strong opposition from congressional lawmakers at the time, then left the naval base with its smallest prisoner population since 2002.