The United States announced late Monday the repatriation of a Tunisian man who had been held at the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2002.
Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi was one of the first to be held at the facility, which at one point housed hundreds of detainees following the September 11, 2001, al-Qaida terror attacks on the United States.
Yazidi was captured by Pakistani authorities in late 2001. He was among a group of about 30 fighters who had crossed the border from Afghanistan's Tora Bora region, according to Pentagon files.
The Pentagon assessment said most of the group was identified as al-Qaida operatives or bodyguards of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
Yazidi was never charged with a crime and cleared for transfer from Guantanamo in 2009, but there was no agreement in place for him to be sent to Tunisia or another country.
The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Congress in January 2024 that officials had "completed the requirements for responsible transfer" in consultation with Tunisia.
The repatriation leaves 26 detainees at Guantanamo, of whom 14 have been cleared for transfer.
Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters
