Saudi Arabia agreed to take in nine Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo Bay, a key deal as the Arab country has been very reluctant to take in detainees, according to a report in the Miami Herald.
The nine prisoners had been cleared for release for years, but could not go back to Yemen due to White House policy that forbids detainees to return to that country, which is mired in a civil war, the Herald noted.
The move is significant because none of the detainees are Saudi nationals. Saudi Arabia has been reluctant to take in detainees that are not natives of the country.
The U.S. government has been trying to persuade the country to take in more prisoners since George W. Bush has been in office, according to a report in the New York Times.
The nine detainees include Tariq Ba Odah, who has been held at Guantanamo since 2002. Odah led a hunger strike while in captivity.
