Pentagon to send about a dozen Guantanamo inmates to other countries soon

WASHINGTON- The Pentagon has notified the US Congress that it plans to transfer about a dozen prisoners held at the Guantanamo military prison to at least two countries, a US official said on Wednesday (March 30), the latest move in President Barack Obama's push to close the facility.

The first of the transfers are expected to take place in the next few days and the others will be occur in coming weeks, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Among the group will be Tariq Ba Odah, a Yemeni man who has been on a long-term hunger strike, the official said.

Some 91 prisoners are currently held at the prison at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Despite congressional resistance, Obama is seeking to shutter the facility before he leaves office in January.