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5 Yemeni Gitmo detainees transferred; 122 remain

By Chloe Sommers, CNN

Updated 9:18 AM ET, Thu January 15, 2015

President Barack Obama signed an executive order on January 22, 2009, to close the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year. Nearly six years later, the prison for terrorism suspects remains open. Click through for a look inside the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/11/opinion/warren-guantanamo-bay/index.html">controversial facility</a>. Here, President George W. Bush's official picture is replaced by Obama's in the lobby of the headquarters of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo on January 20, 2009, the day the latter was sworn in as president.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – President Barack Obama signed an executive order on January 22, 2009, to close the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year. Nearly six years later, the prison for terrorism suspects remains open. Click through for a look inside the controversial facility. Here, President George W. Bush's official picture is replaced by Obama's in the lobby of the headquarters of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo on January 20, 2009, the day the latter was sworn in as president.
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The U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay has held <a href="http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2012/01/11/lkl-verjee-gitmo-10-year-anniversary.cnn">terror suspects since January 2002</a>. Early in the war on terror, the Bush administration argued these detainees were "enemy combatants" who didn't have the protections accorded to prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions. Here, a detainee stands at an interior fence at Guantanamo Bay in October 2009.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – The U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay has held terror suspects since January 2002. Early in the war on terror, the Bush administration argued these detainees were "enemy combatants" who didn't have the protections accorded to prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions. Here, a detainee stands at an interior fence at Guantanamo Bay in October 2009.
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A Navy sailor surveys the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in October 2009. In December 2013, Congress <a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/12/26/obama-signs-budget-defense-bills-in-hawaii/" target="_blank">passed a defense spending bill</a> that makes it easier to transfer detainees out of the facility.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – A Navy sailor surveys the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in October 2009. In December 2013, Congress passed a defense spending bill that makes it easier to transfer detainees out of the facility.
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U.S. military guards move a detainee inside the detention center in September 2010. At its peak, the detainee population exceeded 750 men at Guantanamo.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – U.S. military guards move a detainee inside the detention center in September 2010. At its peak, the detainee population exceeded 750 men at Guantanamo.
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A military doctor holds a feeding tube used to feed detainees on a hunger strike at a Camp Delta hospital at Guantanamo in June 2013. In March 2013, the U.S. military announced that dozens of detainees had begun a hunger strike. By that June, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/18/health/guantanamo-hunger-strike/">more than 100 detainees were on a hunger strike</a>, and more than 40 were being force-fed, military officials said.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – A military doctor holds a feeding tube used to feed detainees on a hunger strike at a Camp Delta hospital at Guantanamo in June 2013. In March 2013, the U.S. military announced that dozens of detainees had begun a hunger strike. By that June, more than 100 detainees were on a hunger strike, and more than 40 were being force-fed, military officials said.
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Muslim detainees kneel during early morning prayers in October 2009. Cells are marked with an arrow pointing in the direction of Mecca, regarded as Islam's holy city.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – Muslim detainees kneel during early morning prayers in October 2009. Cells are marked with an arrow pointing in the direction of Mecca, regarded as Islam's holy city.
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A soldier stands near a placard on the fence line of the detention facility in January 2012.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – A soldier stands near a placard on the fence line of the detention facility in January 2012.
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A Quran sits among a display of items isssued to detainees in September 2010. The suspects are given a prayer mat and a copy of the Muslim holy book as well as a toothbrush, soap, shampoo and clothing.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – A Quran sits among a display of items isssued to detainees in September 2010. The suspects are given a prayer mat and a copy of the Muslim holy book as well as a toothbrush, soap, shampoo and clothing.
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A U.S. military guard walks out of the maximum security section of the detention center in September 2010.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay – A U.S. military guard walks out of the maximum security section of the detention center in September 2010.
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A German shepherd police dog undergoes training exercises in October 2009 at Guantanamo Bay.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – A German shepherd police dog undergoes training exercises in October 2009 at Guantanamo Bay.
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A camp librarian views artwork painted by detainees in September 2010.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – A camp librarian views artwork painted by detainees in September 2010.
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A detainee rubs his face while attending a "life skills" class inside the Camp 6 high-security detention facility in April 2009.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – A detainee rubs his face while attending a "life skills" class inside the Camp 6 high-security detention facility in April 2009.
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A seat and shackle await a detainee in the DVD room of the maximum security Camp 5 detention center in March 2010.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – A seat and shackle await a detainee in the DVD room of the maximum security Camp 5 detention center in March 2010.
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U.S. Marines join in martial arts training at the U.S. naval base in September 2010.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – U.S. Marines join in martial arts training at the U.S. naval base in September 2010.
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Members of the military walk the hallway of Cell Block C in the Camp 5 detention facility in January 2012.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay – Members of the military walk the hallway of Cell Block C in the Camp 5 detention facility in January 2012.
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Guards move a detainee from his cell in Cell Block A of the Camp 6 detention facility in January 2012.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – Guards move a detainee from his cell in Cell Block A of the Camp 6 detention facility in January 2012.
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A detainee waits for lunch in September 2010. The cost of building Guantanamo's high-security detention facilities was reportedly about $54 million.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – A detainee waits for lunch in September 2010. The cost of building Guantanamo's high-security detention facilities was reportedly about $54 million.
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Marines get an early-morning workout at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in October 2009.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – Marines get an early-morning workout at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in October 2009.
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A bus carries military guards from their night shift at the detention center in September 2010.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – A bus carries military guards from their night shift at the detention center in September 2010.
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A military guard puts on gloves before moving a detainee within the detention center in September 2010.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – A military guard puts on gloves before moving a detainee within the detention center in September 2010.
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Members of the U.S. Navy move down the hallway of Cell Block C in the Camp 5 detention facility in January 2012.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – Members of the U.S. Navy move down the hallway of Cell Block C in the Camp 5 detention facility in January 2012.
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A U.S. military guard holds shackles before preparing to move a detainee in September 2010.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – A U.S. military guard holds shackles before preparing to move a detainee in September 2010.
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An American flag flies over Camp 6 at Guantanamo in June 2013.
23 photos: Photos: Inside Guantanamo Bay
Inside Guantanamo Bay – An American flag flies over Camp 6 at Guantanamo in June 2013.
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(CNN)Five Guantanamo Bay detainees have been transferred, the Department of Defense announced in a press release Wednesday.

Al Khadr Abdallah Muhammad Al Yafi, Fadel Hussein Saleh Hentif, Abd Al-Rahman Abdullah Au Shabati and Mohammed Ahmed Salam were sent to Oman. Akhmed Abdul Qadir was transferred to Estonia.

It is believed to be the first time either country has accepted Guantanamo Bay transfers.

    The detainees were not released to their home country of Yemen because the government there -- under pressure from al Qaeda and Houthi militants -- cannot ensure they won't join al Qaeda elements. The United States has been trying to find countries to take on the detainees who will provide security and human rights assurances for them.

    There are currently 122 prisoners left at Guantanamo Bay, including 79 Yemeni men, according to documents from the Pentagon and Joint Task Force Guantanamo.

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    The overall number of detainees has dropped from 800, when the facility was first repurposed to hold captives from the United States' war on terror.

    The transfer is part of the White House's ongoing effort to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center. President Barack Obama stated in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" back in December that he's "going to be doing everything I can to close it."