US Transfers 15 Gitmo Detainees to United Arab Emirates - Pentagon

The United States transferred 15 detainees from the US military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the largest transfer since President Barack Obama took office, the US Department of Defense said in a statement.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Following Monday’s transfer, 61 detainees remain at the facility, and 19 are cleared for transfer.

"The Department of Defense announced today the transfer to 15 detainees… from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the Government of the United Arab Emirates," the statement said on Monday.

Obama and administration officials maintain that the facility represents a national security risk to the United States as it is used by terror groups for recruitment propaganda.

US Republican lawmakers have thwarted Obama’s attempts to shut down the facility and transfer the remaining detainees — including five on trial by the military commission for plotting the September 11 terror attacks — to facilities inside the United States.