U.S. transfers Guantanamo bay prisoners to Saudi

The United States (U.S.) has transferred nine Yemeni prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba to Saudi Arabia, officials said.

The Saudis agreed to take the prisoners because Yemen was considered too unstable for them to return them to.

The transfer leaves 80 prisoners at the U.S. military jail – most of whom have been held without charge or trial for more than a decade.

President Barack Obama wants to close the prison before he leaves office.

The BBC said that the transfer of the nine has been a long sought-after deal between Washington and Riyadh and comes just days before President Obama touches down in Saudi Arabia for a summit of Gulf Arab allies.

The move is part of a push by the presidential administration to release detainees deemed low-risk. The White House wants to transfer the remainder to the U.S. but Congress is opposed.