A Guantanamo Bay detainee has been transferred to Morocco, the Pentagon announced on Thursday, as the administration continues its push to transfer prisoners and close the prison before President Obama leaves office in 2017.
Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri was released to Morocco after officials unanimously approved his transfer, said Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Defense Department spokesman.
“The United States is grateful to the government of Morocco for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility,” Ross said in a statement. “The United States coordinated with the government of Morocco to ensure this transfer took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.”
Chekkouri is a 47-year-old Moroccan citizen, according to the New York Times’ Guantanamo Docket. The task force that reviews detainees recommended him for transfer in January 2010. He was held at Guantanamo Bay for more than 13 years, the Times reported.
The Pentagon is preparing a plan to present to Congress on how to close the detention center in Cuba, including visiting military prisons in Kentucky and South Carolina to assess the cost of moving detainees who can’t be released to stateside facilities.
There are 115 prisoners remaining at the prison after the transfer to Chekkouri, the Pentagon said.
