Additional individuals likely to be transferred or released

The Defense Department announced April 2 the transfer for release of 15 additional detainees who had been held in U.S. custody at the military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of the global war on terrorism.

The individuals were released from U.S. custody because they are no longer considered a threat to the United States and/or have no useful intelligence to offer their interrogators.

Those released came from several countries, including Afghanistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Sudan, Iraq, Jordan, and Yemen.

Additional releases or transfers are expected over time; there are still nearly 600 individuals in custody at Guantanamo Bay.

Following is the text of the Defense Department release:

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U.S. Department of Defense
News Release
April 2, 2004

Detainee Transfer Completed

The Department of Defense announced today it transferred for release 15 detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. These detainees came from several countries, including Afghanistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Sudan, Iraq, Jordan, and Yemen.

The decision to transfer or release a detainee is based on many factors, including whether the detainee is of further intelligence value to the United States and whether he is believed to pose a threat to the United States.

There is a process to review the status of detainees. A determination about the detention and release of a detainee is based on the best information and evidence available at the time. The circumstances in which detainees are apprehended can be ambiguous, and many of them are highly skilled in concealing the truth. The process of evaluation and detention is not free of risk -- at least one detainee has gone back to the fight.

During the course of the war on terrorism, the Department expects that there will be other transfers or releases of detainees.

Because of operational and security considerations, no further details can be provided.

Previously, 119 detainees were transferred for release and 12 others were transferred for continued detention (four to the Saudi Arabian government, one to the Spanish government and seven to the Russian government). [A total of] 146 detainees have now departed Guantanamo. As a result of today's release, there are now approximately 595 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)