WASHINGTON - The United States transferred 11 inmates from its Guantanamo Bay prison camp for suspected terrorists, sending eight to Afghanistan and three to Jordan, the Defense Department said on Sunday.
"These detainees were determined to be eligible for transfer following a comprehensive series of review processes," it said in a statement. "The transfer is a demonstration of the United States` desire not to hold detainees any longer than necessary."
The camp has drawn strong criticism from rights groups and other observers who complain that the US government breaks international law by holding prisoners there for a long time without trial and reportedly mistreating some.
There are now some 320 inmates left there, the department said. Some 450 have been transferred from there since 2002, after being rounded up by US authorities in its campaign against extremists viewed as a threat.
Critics have also complained that some prisoners risk torture in the countries to which they are sent.
vog/rlp/mdl
11/04/2007 22:45 GMT