The United States government has transferred a total of 11 Yemeni nationals who had been held at Guantanamo Bay detention center for two decades without trial to Oman.

They were arrested during the “war on terror” operation that was sanctioned by the then US President George W. Bush following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center by Al-Qaeda and associated groups.

According to an official statement released by the US Department of Defense on Monday, 6, 2025, the decision came after several engagements by the UN, other international actors, and the US Administration to close the detention facility and release all those detainees never charged with a crime.

“The United States appreciates the willingness of the government of Oman and other partners to support ongoing US efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility,” the US Department of Defense said.

The outgoing US president, Joe Biden, had pledged before his election in 2020 to permanently close Guantanamo Bay due to its record of human rights violations. Since then, his government has been working on identifying suitable countries willing to take detainees from Guantanamo who were never charged with a crime.

According to the US-based Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), among the 11 detainees being transferred to Oman is Sharqawi al-Hajj, who had undergone repeated hunger strikes and hospitalizations at the facility in protest of his 21 years of detention without trial and grave torture by the CIA for two years before being taken to the facility.

“Our thoughts are with Mr. Al Hajj as he transitions to the free world after almost 23 years in captivity. His release is hopeful for him and for us,” CCR said.

Last year, several detainees from Guantanamo were released, including Tunisian national Ridah bin Saleh al-Yazidi, who had been held at the prison since it opened in 2002 without ever being charged.

Others who were released include Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu, who was arrested in Kenya in 2007, and two Malaysian men who had been held for 18 years without trial.

The US Department of Defense said that there are 15 men who are still being detained at Guantanamo. Two have been convicted, seven have been charged and are waiting for trial, whereas six are uncharged and have been cleared for transfer from the US.