The US has released 12 prisoners from the Guantánamo Bay detention camp. The six Yemeni, four Afghans and two Somali detainees have been sent to their home countries.
US President Barack Obama wants to close down Guantánamo Bay next month but it is highly unlikely that the deadline will be met and due to diplomatic and political problems. Far too few countries are willing to grant the detainees residence permits.
At the moment, there are still 198 terrorism suspects being held at the infamous detention camp in Cuba. Several dozen of the inmates are scheduled to be transferred to a prison in the US state of Illinois.
