US transfers 2 more Gitmo prisoners to Ghana

WASHINGTON

Two Guantanamo Bay prisoners have been transferred to Ghana, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

An agency statement identified the prisoners as Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby.

"The United States 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 statement read.

The transfer approval was the result of a comprehensive review that examined a number of factors, including security, and is part of a directive by President Barack Obama who has said he wants to close the controversial prison.

The prison was established in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.

The transfers bring to 105 the number of detainees now at Guantanamo Bay after a high of almost 800 prisoners, according to the Pentagon.

The U.S. transferred 17 detainees to Oman in June, three to Qatar in April, one to Morocco and one to Saudi Arabia in September, one to Mauritania in October and five to the United Arab Emirates in November.