Two of the 17 prisoners who were released from Guantanamo Bay in the first six months of 2016 have returned to fighting for terrorist organizations, the U.S. government confirmed to Reuters late Wednesday.
A total of nine prisoners released from the U.S. naval base in Cuba have rejoined militant groups since the beginning of Barack Obama’s presidency in 2009, a report released by the Office of Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday found.
Eleven former Gitmo Bay prisoners are now suspected of having returned to fighting, the January-through-July report found. That number had previously stood at 12, but dropped after one of the individuals was confirmed to be a fighter and no longer just suspected of it.
Obama has pushed to close the terrorist prisoner facility since he took office. The nearly 14-year-old facility was opened following the Sept. 11 attacks as a place to hold the country’s most dangerous criminals. Since February, the White House has begun releasing prisoners to other countries in an attempt to shut down the prison.
The study indicated Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, released more detainees than the Democratic president. Approximately 113 of the 532 detainees released by Bush returned to fighting. Obama has released a total of 161 prisoners.
