Oman Accepts 10 Guantanamo Inmates

Oman said on Monday it accepted 10 inmates from the US prison at Guantanamo Bay ahead of US President Barack Obama leaving office, part of his efforts to shrink the facility he promised to close. There was no immediate word from the US Defense Department about the transfer. Oman’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Oman News Agency that it had accepted the prisoners at Obama’s request. It did not name the prisoners, AP reported. The sultanate of Oman, on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, previously accepted 10 Guantanamo prisoners from Yemen in January 2016. Oman also took another six in June 2015. Days earlier, authorities said 19 of the remaining 55 prisoners at the US military base in Cuba were cleared for release and could be freed in the final days of Obama’s presidency. It was part of an effort by Obama to shrink the prison since he could not close it. US president-elect, Donald Trump, said during his campaign that he not only wants to keep Guantanamo open but “load it up with some bad dudes.”