WASHINGTON
The United States has sent back four Afghan detainees from Guantanamo to Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced Saturday.
According to a statement released by the Pentagon, Shawali Khan, Khi Ali Gul, Abdul Ghani, and Mohammed Zahir have been transferred off to Afghanistan.
Statement pointed that on this case, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review, which was ordered by U.S. president in early 2009, as President Barack Obama issued an executive order that called for the Guantanamo detention facility to be closed within a year, which is still not completed.
"As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, these men were unanimously approved for transfer by the six departments and agencies comprising the task force,” the statement said.
The Pentagon statement also thanked Afghanistan for their support on ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo facility, where 132 detainees still remain.
Guantanamo was opened during the administration of George W. Bush in 2002 to detain "extraordinarily dangerous persons" in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The detention center is highly being criticized by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
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