WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (AFP) - The United States transferred 10 detainees from Afghanistan to a prison for suspected Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- the first such transfer in nearly a year, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
The arrival of the new inmates was announced as the US and Afghan governments said 11 former detainees held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay had been returned to Afghanistan where they were freed.
The arrival of the 10 new detainees marks the first time prisoners have been sent to the remote Cuban prison since November 23, 2003, said Lieutenant Commander Alvin "Flex" Texico.
Meanwhile, the Afghan government said the group of 11 ex detainees returned to the Afghan capital, Kabul, and were freed on Tuesday, but gave no details on why they were originally detained. Some of the group had been held at Guantanamo for three years.
"This transfer increases the number of detainees whove left Guantanamo Bay to 202," the Pentagon said in a statement.
Of the 202 former Guantanamo detainees sent home, 146 have so far been released. The Pentagon said all 11 in the most recent group were transferred to Afghanistan "for release."
"Eleven prisoners have been released from Guantanamo Bay as part of the government efforts. They have been released and now they are in Afghanistan," said Rafiullah Mujadidi, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai.
The Pentagon said: "The decision to transfer or release a detainee is based on many factors, including whether the detainee is of further intelligence value to the United States and whether the detainee is believed to pose a threat to the United States if released."
The latest releases come close on the heels of a transfer of 35 Guantanamo detainees, announced Saturday, from Cuba to Pakistan.
The Pentagon said 539 detainees remain imprisoned at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay.