The Biden administration has repatriated another Guantanamo Bay detainee, sending Sufiyan Barhoumi from the U.S. military prison back to Algeria.
The Department of Defense’s Periodic Review Board concluded in August 2016 that his detention “was no longer necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the national security of the United States,” the Pentagon said in a statement on Saturday, announcing his transfer to his home country.
PENTAGON: ‘SMALL NUMBERS’ OF RUSSIAN TROOPS LEAVING KYIV, ‘NOT A REAL WITHDRAWAL’
Barhoumi was captured in Pakistan and taken to Guantanamo Bay in 2002. The U.S. determined he was not an al Qaeda or Taliban member but did have various ties to extremist groups.
The Obama administration declined to repatriate Barhoumi, with the Justice Department saying that then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter rejected his transfer “based on a variety of substantive concerns, shared by multiple agencies,” according to the outlet. Former President Donald Trump’s administration also did not agree to his transfer, largely stopping such transfers in general.
Following Barhoumi’s transfer, there are 37 remaining detainees at the Cuba-based prison, 18 of which are eligible for transfer.
Then-President George W. Bush opened the detention center at Guantanamo Bay in 2002, and at its peak, the facility housed nearly 800 detainees, according to NBC News. Former President Barack Obama promised to shut down the facility during his campaign, though his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. During his administration, however, the number of detainees shrunk from 245 to 41.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
President Joe Biden also campaigned on and has taken some steps to close the detention facility.
The review board consists of one senior career official from the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and State, along with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
