[Al Arabiya Latest] Two Algerian men held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have been transferred to the control of the Algerian government, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.The announcement named the two men as Hasan Zemiri and Adil Hadi al-Jazairi Bin Hamlili and came on the eve of what was once President Barack Obama's target date to close the notorious facility.
But a political firestorm at home over the Obama administration's plans to house some of the terror suspects on U.S. soil and the reluctance of foreign allies in released detainees have dealt a blow to his landmark promise.
The Washington Post in Friday's editions reported that a task force led by the Justice Department has concluded that nearly 50 detainees at Guantanamo Bay should be held indefinitely without trial under the laws of war.
The findings represent the first time the Obama administration has clarified how many detainees were considered too dangerous to release but not prosecutable, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed Obama administration officials.
Obama had promised to shut the military prison by Friday but has fallen far short of that goal amid political and diplomatic hurdles.
"The United States coordinated with the government of Algeria to ensure the transfers took place under appropriate security measures," the Justice Department said in a statement.
The transfer is also a sign the Obama administration is moving ahead with its effort to close the prison despite criticism by Republican lawmakers who worry that some former detainees released from the Guantanamo facility may be returning to the battlefield.