23 Guantanamo detainees reportedly close to being released

The Obama administration has deals in place to send about 22 or 23 Guantanamo Bay detainees to half a dozen countries, U.S. officials told The Guardian.

The officials, who asked for anonymity, said the transfers are expected to take place by the end of July. All of the detainees have been officially approved for transfer, although the countries where they are going are not ready to be identified and some approvals still need to be certified by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. Right now, Guantanamo is holding 80 men, the lowest number since the prison opened in 2002.

In January, the State Department's envoy for closing Guantanamo said the U.S. would empty Guantanamo of transfer-eligible detainees "by this summer," The Guardian reports. If the men are transferred, less than 60 detainees will remain at Guantanamo, with most involved in military tribunals or deemed too dangerous to free.

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