|
Balzuhair, a
citizen of Yemen, was arrested in Pakistan on Sept. 11, 2002,
and arrived the following month at the U.S. military facility in
Cuba.
Last July, the Obama administration found that Balzuhair did not
present a significant threat to national security. He had been
described by U.S. officials as a "low-level Yemeni militant" who
received basic training at an al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan in
mid-2001.
With his release, there are 59 detainees remaining at Guantanamo
Bay, according to a Defense Department statement.
President Barack Obama has been working to shrink the number of
detainees at the U.S. facility in Cuba, but it appears he will
leave office next Jan. 20 falling short of his goal to close the
detention center amid opposition from many Republicans in the
U.S. Congress.
Cabo Verde is located in the Atlantic Ocean, about 350 miles
(570 km) off the coast of West Africa.
(Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by Chris Reese)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
