US repatriates 2 Guantanamo prison detainees to Pakistan

WASHINGTON

The US said Thursday that it has transferred two detainees from Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba to Pakistan.

"The Department of Defense announced today the repatriations of Abdul Rabbani and Mohammed Rabbani from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to Pakistan," it said in a statement.

The two men are brothers, according to reports.

The statement said that on Jan. 18, 2023, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin notified Congress of his intent to repatriate Abdul and Mohammed Rabbani to the government of Pakistan.

They were arrested in 2002.

As of Thursday, 32 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.

The statement noted that "18 are eligible for transfer; 3 are eligible for a Periodic Review Board; 9 are involved in the military commissions process; and 2 remaining detainees have been convicted in military commissions.”