US approves transfer of two Yemeni Guantanamo Bay inmates held since 2004

A US review board has approved the transfer of two Yemeni inmates held at the infamous Guantanamo Bay US military prison in Cuba since 2004.

The US is now tasked with identifying countries willing to take Abd al-Salam al-Hilah and Sharqawi Abdu Ali al-Hajj.

"The Periodic Review Board, by consensus, determined that continued law of war detention of the detainee is no longer necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States," the board was quoted by Reuters as saying on the two separate decisions.

According to the Periodic Review Board's website, Al-Hajj was a prominent Al-Qaeda financial and travel facilitator. Al-Hilah, meanwhile, is also described as an extremist facilitator who has expressed continued support for militant groups, including the Islamic State group.

The move reflects Washington's renewed efforts to determine the fate of the detention centre, which was set up after the 9/11 attacks to hold foreign suspects. The facility has held come 800 detainees since then, many of whom were never charged or tried.

Around 40 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, after almost two decades in captivity.

Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington is "actively looking" into reestablishing the role of a State Department envoy tasked with the the facility's closure.

Former President Barack Obama had pledged to close the prison in his first term in office in 2009, however missed his administration's January 2010 deadline.

In 2018, former President Donald Trump signed an order to keep the facility open.