Guantanamo Ex prisoners Sent to Bosnia Montenegro via joTurkishWeekly

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) The US Justice Department on Thursday announced it had sent two released prisoners from the Guantanamo camp to Bosnia and Montenegro as they had nowhere to go. One had Bosnian citizenship having fought there in the 1990s.

Tariq Al-Sawah and Abd al-Aziz Abduh Abdallah Ali Al-Suwaydi have been sent to Bosnia and Montenegro US authorities said given that neither could return safely to his country of origin - Egypt and Yemen.

Al Sawah was transferred to Bosnia.

"US authorities don't consider it necessary to prolong the detention of Al Sawah in order to protect the security of the US" a statement by the Pentagon reads.

Al Sawah was imprisoned in Guantanamo in May 2002 where he was transferred after having been captured in Afghanistan.

The US authorities suspected him of committing war crimes while he was a member of Al Qaeda.

As Al Sawah possesses Egyptian citizenship Egypt has repeatedly sought his release. He also won Bosnian citizenship having fought for the Bosniak [Muslim] cause there in the Nineties.

"US authorities are thankful to the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina for their humanitarian gesture and their readiness to help the effort to close the Guantanamo prison. US authorities have coordinated with the Bosnian government to ensure a safe journey and the human treatment [of Al Swah]" the Pentagon said.

The other former Guantanamo inmate Abd al-Aziz Abduh Abdallah Ali Al-Suwaydi was released to Montenegro.

According to the New York Times Suwaydi is a 41-year-old Yemeni citizen who has been held in the prison for 13 years and eight months.

He was an al Qaeda member who was identified as an explosives trainer. After fleeing Afghanistan he was captured trying to return to Yemen. He arrived at Guantanamo in May 2002.

The government in Podgorica on Thursday said that within the humanitarian program of providing assistance in solving the issue of closing the base in Guantanamo Montenegro had agreed to take on the responsibilities of resocialisation of a Yemeni citizen.

It added that most European and neighbouring countries are taking part in the program including Germany Italy Russia Hungary and Slovakia.

The US coordinated with Montenegro to ensure the transfer took place and said it was grateful to Montenegro for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay facility.

According to US authorities 91 persons are still imprisoned in Guantanamo.