GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Twelve detainees were released from the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay to Afghanistan, Yemen and the Somaliland region, officials said Sunday.
The U.S. Department of Justice said four Afghan detainees were transferred to the government of Afghanistan; two Somali detainees were transferred to regional authorities in Somaliland; and six Yemeni detainees were transferred to the government of Yemen.
Justice officials said the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of each of the cases, which "examined a number of factors, including potential threat, mitigation measures and the likelihood of success in habeas litigation, the detainees were approved for transfer."
With the releases, the detainee population at Guantanamo dropped to 198, reducing the facility's population to under 200 for the first time since February 2002, The Miami Herald reported. It said the released detainees included the last batch of terrorism suspects sent there by the Bush administration.
The Washington Post reported the move Friday as a potential prelude to the release of dozens more detainees to Yemen.
