US sends 4 Guantanamo prisoners back to Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (Xinhua) - The Pentagon said on Saturday that four Afghans held at the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been sent home, the latest move in efforts by the Obama administration to close the military prison.

The four man, identified as Shawali Khan, Khi Ali Gul, Abdul Ghani, and Mohammed Zahir,  were unanimously approved for transfer after a review of their cases, the Pentagon said in a statement.  

That review, part of an executive order signed by President Barack Obama in January 2009, examined a number of factor including security issues.

"In accordance with statutory requirements, the secretary of defense informed Congress of the United States' intent to transfer these individuals and of his determination that this transfer meets the statutory standard," the statement said.

"The United States is grateful to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for its willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility," it said.

The repatriation of the four Afghans brings down to 132 the detention population at the secret Guantanamo camp, which was established by Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, after the Sept. 11, 2011 attacks to house terror suspects detained overseas, according to the statement.