3 Gitmo Bay detainees transferred to Slovakia

The US Department of Defense announced Tuesday the transfer of three of the last Uighur Chinese nationals from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the Government of Slovakia. The Pentagon said in a statement that "as directed by the president's (Barack Obama) Jan. 22, 2009, executive order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of these cases. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, these individuals were designated for transfer by unanimous consent among all six agencies on the task force." It added that "in accordance with statutory reporting requirements, the administration informed Congress of its intent to transfer these individuals. "The United States is grateful to the government of Slovakia for this humanitarian gesture and its willingness to support US efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility," the statement affirmed. It noted that the US "coordinated with the government of Slovakia to ensure the transfer took place in accordance with appropriate security and humane treatment measures. "This transfer and resettlement constitutes a significant milestone in our effort to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay," it stressed. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel "remains grateful to the Defense Department's Special Envoy Paul Lewis, and Department of State Special Envoy Cliff Sloan, for their and their respective teams' many efforts that facilitated this successful transfer." Up to 155 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.