US repatriates Guantanamo detainee to Kenya
WASHINGTON (AA) – The Pentagon announced Tuesday the repatriation of Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu from Guantanamo Bay to Kenya.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin notified Congress of his intent to repatriate Bajabu last month.
“On Dec. 27, 2021, the Periodic Review Board (PRB) process determined that continued law of war detention of Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu (ISN 10025) was no longer necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the national security of the United States,” it said in a statement.
“The United States appreciates the support to ongoing U.S. efforts toward a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility,” it added.
Established in Cuba after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the notorious prison currently has 29 detainees, according to the statement.
Fifteen are eligible for transfer; three for a Periodic Review Board; seven are involved in the military commissions process and four inmates have been convicted and sentenced by military commissions.
Bajabu, a Kenyan national, was detained by Kenyan authorities in 2007 on charges of being affiliated with al-Qaeda’s East Africa branch.
A Pentagon review board said it took into account Bajabu’s “low level training and lack of a leadership role in his pre-detention activities,” along with his family ties and behavior during detention, in deciding he could be transferred.
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