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Two Guantanamo Detainees Transferred To Saudi Arabia: Pentagon

Number Of Guantanamo Detainees Falls
Reuters
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA - JUNE 27: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been reviewed by the U.S. Military prior to transmission.) A Public Affairs Officer escorts media through the currently closed Camp X-Ray which was the first detention facility to hold 'enemy combatants' at the U.S. Naval Station on June 27, 2013 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.The U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, houses the American detention center for 'enemy combatants'. President Barack Obama has recently spoken again about closing the prison which has been used to hold prisoners from the invasion of Afghanistan and the war on terror since early 2002. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA - JUNE 27: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been reviewed by the U.S. Military prior to transmission.) A Public Affairs Officer escorts media through the currently closed Camp X-Ray which was the first detention facility to hold 'enemy combatants' at the U.S. Naval Station on June 27, 2013 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.The U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, houses the American detention center for 'enemy combatants'. President Barack Obama has recently spoken again about closing the prison which has been used to hold prisoners from the invasion of Afghanistan and the war on terror since early 2002. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Monday it had transferred two detainees from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the custody of Saudi Arabia, reducing the number of inmates still held at the facility to 160.

In a statement, the Pentagon identified the transferred prisoners as Saad Muhammad Husayn Qahtani and Hamood Abdulla Hamood. Both were recommended for transfer in a 2009 review of their cases by a U.S. interagency task force.

Paul Lewis, the Defense Department's special envoy for closing the prison at Guantanamo, thanked the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for accepting the detainees and supporting U.S. efforts to close the prison.

"The United States coordinated with the government of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure these transfers took place with appropriate security assurances and in a way that is consistent with our humane treatment policy," Lewis said in the statement.

(Reporting by David Alexander Editing by W Simon)

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