In a significant development, the United States has transferred 11 Yemeni detainees from the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba to Oman. This transfer reduces the number of detainees at Guantanamo to 15, marking the lowest population in the facility's history. The Department of Defense expressed gratitude to Oman for its support in "responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing" the facility.

The detainees, captured following the 9/11 terror attacks, had not been charged with any crimes during their over two decades of detention. This transfer, which took place on Monday, is the largest single-country transfer under President Joe Biden. Efforts to resettle these individuals in Oman began several years ago, but the US government deemed Yemen, embroiled in civil war, too unstable for repatriation.

Federal national security review panels cleared the detainees for transfer, concluding that it was "consistent with the national security interests of the United States." This transfer comes less than a week after another detainee was sent back to Tunisia, while three of the remaining 15 detainees are also eligible for transfer.

The Guantanamo Bay facility has long been a contentious issue, with ongoing controversy surrounding the treatment of detainees and their prolonged detention without charges. President Barack Obama had vowed to close the prison but faced congressional opposition. Similarly, President Biden has aimed to reduce the facility's population and work towards its closure, though it remains uncertain whether this objective will be realized before Donald Trump takes office later this month.