US transfers inmate from Guantanamo

WASHINGTON - The United States announced on Wednesday the first transfer of a prisoner from the Guantanamo Bay detention center under President Donald Trump, lowering the prisoner population at a facility Trump has signaled he would like to repopulate.

The US military said Ahmed Muhammed Haza al-Darbi's transfer to Saudi Arabia reduced the detainee population to 40 from 41. He was the first prisoner to leave the US detention center in Cuba since Jan 19, 2017 - the day before Trump was inaugurated.

Commander Sarah Higgins, a Pentagon spokeswoman, noted that the transfer was provided under the terms of a 2014 plea deal, which will allow Darbi to serve out the rest of his 13-year sentence there.

"The United States coordinated with the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure the transfer took place in accordance with established standards for security and humane treatment," Higgins said.

Saudi Arabia's state news agency, SPA, said Darbi arrived in the kingdom late on Wednesday.

The prison, opened by Republican President George W. Bush to hold terrorism suspects captured overseas after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks came to symbolize harsh detention practices that opened the US to accusations of torture.

US officials have not ruled out adding to the prisoner population again and have acknowledged trouble repatriating Islamic State fighters being held by US-backed forces in Syria, raising the possibility that Guantanamo Bay could be seen as a viable option in the future.

Trump's Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, reduced the inmate population to 41 from 242, but fell short of fulfilling his promise to close the jail before leaving office last year. In contrast, Trump pledged during his campaign to repopulate the prison, saying he wanted to "to load it up with some bad dudes".

Reuters

(China Daily 05/04/2018 page12)