New Delhi: The US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) announced on Saturday the transfer of Algerian Sufyian Barhoumi from Guantanamo Bay to his native Algeria.
The US Department of Defense said, in a statement, that the United States “appreciates the willingness of Algeria and other partners to support ongoing US efforts toward a measured and comprehensive process focused on responsibly reducing the number of detainees and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.”
The American news network Fox News reported that Barhoumi had been waiting for his release for nearly 6 years when the Periodic Review Board decided on August 9, 2016, that Barhoumi’s detention was “no longer necessary.”
The council recommended that Sufyian Barhoumi be released and transferred to his country of origin, Algeria, while ensuring that he receives security and humane treatment.
Barhoumi spent 20 years in the “Guantanamo Bay” prison, which was opened in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as it held nearly 800 detainees, according to the network.
Barhoumi was born on July 28, 1973 in Algeria, and arrived at Guantanamo Bay on June 18, 2002, after his arrest in Pakistan as part of the US operations called the “war on terror” .
The Pentagon stated that Guantanamo Bay currently holds 37 detainees , 18 of whom are eligible for transfer, and seven are eligible to appear before the Periodic Review Board.
US President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama had promised to “completely close the prison “, after it had become a global symbol of prisoner abuse.
Barhoumi was in the process of finalizing his release when Donald Trump became president, and his administration halted the transfer, according to the Associated Press .
