The Obama administration released another five inmates from the Guantanamo Bay prison camp less than a week after Congress legally barred the president from shuttering the facility and transporting the remaining detainees to the United States, according to the Pentagon.
The Defense Department announced on Sunday that five prisoners had been cleared for release and had been transported to the United Arab Emirates. Just 107 inmates currently remain imprisoned at Gitmo, including those accused for orchestrating the 9/11 terror attacks.
Those who were released include: Ali Ahmad Muhammad al-Razihi, Khalid Abd-al-Jabbar Muhammad Uthman al-Qadasi, Adil Said al-Hajj Ubayd al-Busays, Sulayman Awad Bin Uqayl al-Nahdi, and Fahmi Salem Said al-Asani.
The transfer comes after Congress passed legislation prohibiting the Obama administration from transferring the remaining detainees to the United States.
Lawmakers have expressed concern that those who have been released from Gitmo in the past have been caught returning to the battlefield.
The Pentagon said that after a review, all five detainees were "unanimously approved for transfer," according to a statement.
"The United States is grateful to the Government of the United Arab Emirates for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility," the Pentagon said. "The United States coordinated with the Government of the United Arab Emirates to ensure these transfers took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures."