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Two Gitmo prisoners to resettle in Ghana

Bin Atef is an admitted member of the Taliban and fought for Usama bin Laden, while Al-Dhuby trained with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

 

The US media has reported that one of the two discharged Guantanamo prisoners who are currently in Ghana fought for the late terror king Osama Bid Laden, the first in a wave of 17 detainees expected to be transferred from the prison camp.

Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby are being offered humanitarian assistance in Ghana.

The two inmates are the first of a group of 17 detainees expected to be transferred out of Guantanamo Bay that includes “multiple bad guys” and “Al Qaeda followers,” the Fox NewS has reported.

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With the announcement of the transfer, 105 detainees remain there.

Both detainees spent close to 14 years at Guantanamo.

According to a statement from Ghana’s foreign affairs ministry, the assistance being offered the ex-inmates is at the request of the US government.

In a statement on its website, the US Department of Defense said it provided the necessary security assistance to Ghana in order to ensure a smooth transfer of the inmates.

"As directed by the president’s Jan. 22, 2009, executive order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of these cases. As a result of those reviews, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, Atef and Al-Dhuby were unanimously approved for transfer by the six departments and agencies comprising the task force,"  the statement said.

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The statement added, "The US is grateful to the Government of Ghana for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The United States coordinated with the Government of Ghana to ensure these transfers took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures."

Meanwhile, the US government has expressed its gratitude to the Government of Ghana for the gesture.

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