Five detainees held at Guantanamo Bay were transferred to Kazakhstan on Tuesday.
The Pentagon identified the detainees as Asim Thahit Abdullah al Khalaqi, Muhammed Ali Hussein Khnenah, and Sabri Mohammed Ebrahim al Qurashi, all from Yemen, and two Tunisians, Adel Bin Ahmed Bin Ibrahim Hkiml and Mohammed Abdul Rahman.
The men, held for more than 11 years, were originally detained in Pakistan for suspected ties to al-Qaida or other militant Islamists.
An interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force "unanimously approved" the transfer of the five men after determining they no longer posed a threat to the United States.
"The United States coordinated with the government of Kazakhstan to ensure these transfers took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures," the Pentagon said in a statement.
A total of 28 detainees were removed from Guantanamo Bay in 2014, 22 of whom were transferred in the past two months. President Barack Obama has said it is his goal to close the detention center.
There are 127 inmates currently at the detention facility, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Fifty-nine of those still detained have been cleared for release with more transfers expected in the coming weeks.
