The United States released two Pakistani brothers who were detained at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for two decades.
Abdul and Mohammed Rabbani were arrested by Pakistan officials in 2002 on suspicions of relations with terrorist group Al-Qaeda, CBS News reported.
U.S. officials then accused them of helping Al-Qaeda members and transferred them to Guantanamo Bay in 2004. The brothers alleged they were tortured while in CIA custody.
According to CNN, the pair was never charged with any crime and were repatriated to Pakistan after the U.S. Department of Defense determined that their detention was no longer needed to protect against a “continuing, significant threat” to the United States.
The brothers’ release is part of an ongoing campaign by the Biden administration to close the prison facility, CNN reported.
The Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a release that they “coordinated an extensive inter-agency process to facilitate repatriation.”
The brothers are being sent back to Karachi, Pakistan to be reunited with their families following questioning from Pakistani authorities.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
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