Original Gitmo prisoner transferred to Kuwait

A Guantánamo Bay prisoner held for almost 13 years will be transferred to Kuwait, the Defense Department said Wednesday.

{mosads}The Pentagon said in a statement that officials determined that Fouzi al Awda’s detention was no longer needed “to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States.”

“The United States is grateful to the Government of Kuwait for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility,” the Pentagon added. “The United States coordinated with the Government of Kuwait to ensure this transfer took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.”

Pakistani militia captured Awda in November 2001 and transferred him to U.S. control. The American government initially believed that he had been an al Qaeda associate and he has been held at Guantánamo Bay since the prison opened in 2002. He’s never been charged with a specific crime.

Recently, the government’s assessment of Awda changed. An updated detainee profile says that “we lack confidence in statements from other detainees that [Awda] was closely associated with Usama bin Ladin or belonged to an al-Qa’ida cell in London,” using alternate spellings for both the deceased terrorist leader and his group.

The administration has cleared 79 of the 148 detainees still in Guantánamo for release. But there’s a fight in Congress over whether those prisoners should be transferred.

President Obama has repeatedly tried to close the prison, but congressional legislation bans it.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has a bill that would create a six-month freeze on transfers from Guantánamo Bay and require the president to personally sign off on any future transfers after the freeze ends. That bill has stalled in the Senate, but it might have legs with the incoming Republican majority.

The White House negotiated the release of five high-value Guantánamo detainees earlier this year in a trade for captured Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. That swap drew the ire of many lawmakers, especially conservatives, who were either concerned about letting the prisoners go free or that the White House hadn’t adequately warned Congress of the decision.

Wednesday’s Pentagon statement said the Defense Department informed Congress of Awda’s transfer “in accordance with statutory requirements,” something it declined to do during the Bergdahl swap.