Three days after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the government to send an Algerian national to his home country, over his protest, the Defense Department announced the transfer Monday. The transfer involved Abdul Aziz Naji, one of six Algerian detainees at Guantanamo who have indicated they fear torture or death if sent to their home country — fears that government officials say are not justified. The Pentagon’s announcement made no mention of the fate of the other Algerians.
The Guantanamo prison population is now down to 178. Besides Naji’s transfer, the Pentagon said on Monday that the government of Cape Verde has agreed to the resettlement there of Abd-al-Nisr Mohammed Khantumani, a Syrian.