US repatriates Tunisian detainee from Guantanamo Bay

The United States announced late Monday the repatriation of a Tunisian man who had been held in U.S. military custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2002.

Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi was one of the first to be imprisoned at the facility, which at one point housed hundreds of detainees following the September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on the United States.

Yazidi was captured by Pakistani authorities in late 2001. He was among a group of about 30 fighters who crossed the border from Afghanistan’s Tora Bora region, according to Pentagon files.

A Pentagon assessment says most of the group have been identified as al-Qaeda operatives or bodyguards of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Yazidi was never charged with a crime and was granted a transfer from Guantanamo in 2009, but there was no agreement to send him to Tunisia or another country.

The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Congress in January 2024 that officials had “met the requirements for responsible relocation” in the Tunisia deal.

The repatriation leaves 26 detainees at Guantanamo, 14 of whom have been approved for transfer.

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters