Detainee Transfer Announced
September 12, 2005

The Department of Defense announced today that it released one detainee from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to the government of Afghanistan. This release increases the number of detainees who have been transferred or released from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to 246.

There are ongoing processes to review the status of detainees. A determination about the continued detention or transfer of a detainee is based on the best information and evidence available at the time. The circumstances in which detainees are apprehended can be ambiguous, and many of the detainees are highly skilled in concealing the truth.

During the course of the war on terrorism, the department expects that there will be other transfers or releases of detainees.

Because of operational and security considerations, no further details can be provided.

Prior to this transfer, DoD has transferred or released 245 detainees from GTMO – 177 for release, and 68 transferred to other governments (29 to Pakistan, five to Morocco, seven to France, seven to Russia, four to Saudi Arabia, two to Spain, one to Sweden, one to Kuwait, one to Australia, nine to Great Britain and two to Belgium). There are approximately 505 detainees currently at Guantanamo.