Biden Administration Transfers Guantanamo Detainee To Morocco

Around six months after taking office, United States President Joe Biden's administration has, for the first time, transferred a detainee from the Guantanamo detention center to his home country, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Abdul Latif Nasir was taken to Morocco because he no longer posed a threat to the national security of the US, the Department of Defense said on Monday. Morocco had given security guarantees and assured Nasir he would receive "humane treatment," it said.

The Pentagon statement did not specify whether Nasir would remain detained in Morocco or be released.

The Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba now has 39 detainees left. The camp was established after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks under the government of Republican President George W. Bush to hold suspected Islamist terrorists without trial.

Bush's successor, Democrat Barack Obama, wanted to close it but failed due to opposition in the US Congress while Republican Donald Trump wanted to keep the camp open. Biden, who was Obama's vice-president, is trying to push through with plans to close the facility.

Nasir was directly affected by the political back and forth in the US. A commission set up under Obama recommended his release in 2016. However, the necessary steps could no longer be fulfilled before the change of government and the Trump administration did not complete the repatriation.

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