Joe Biden has taken a significant step toward fulfilling his long-standing promise to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, transferring 11 Yemeni detainees to Oman and initiating negotiations for a potential prisoner exchange.

The move has drawn attention to the high costs of maintaining Guantanamo and the complex challenges involved in reducing its detainee population.

During a segment on The First, Brian Kilmeade highlighted the recent transfer, stating, “President Biden, 11th hour move announced he at least 11 Gitmo detainees captured in the aftermath of 9/11 terror attacks are now being transferred out of the US to Oman.”

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Peter Doocy, reporting further details, explained, “If President Biden is trying to deliver on his public promise to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, we’re not sure why this transfer was made in secret. Eleven Yemeni detainees sent to Oman—rehabilitated, at least, according to the DoD.”

The detainees, who were held for over 20 years without being charged, were deemed rehabilitated by the Department of Defense (DoD).

Doocy added, “The United States appreciates the willingness of the government of Oman and other partners to support ongoing US efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility.”

Among the transferred detainees were two former bodyguards of Osama bin Laden. Doocy noted, “One of them, Ahmed al-Awi, still had an extremist mindset as recently as 2016 according to declassified files. The other one, Anam al-Sharabi, may have been linked to a hijacking plot in Asia.”

Despite their past associations, the detainees were never formally charged and are reportedly seeking to rebuild their lives.

“A lawyer for two of them is quoted by the New York Times as saying, ‘They want to live their lives, they want to get married, they want to have kids, they want to get a job and have normal lives,’” Doocy added.

Guantanamo’s detainee population has dwindled significantly since its peak of 800 prisoners.

With only 15 detainees remaining, the cost of maintaining each prisoner is approximately $13 million per year. Doocy emphasized the financial burden, saying, “Even if Joe Biden fails in his promise to close Gitmo for good, emptying it out like this puts a lot of pressure on his successors to close it, if for no other reason, that it’s becoming too expensive.”

The Biden administration is also negotiating a potential prisoner swap involving one of the remaining detainees, Raheem al Afghani, a senior al-Qaeda leader.

The proposed exchange would involve releasing al Afghani in return for three Americans currently believed to be held by the Taliban.

Brian Kilmeade reacted to the breaking news, asking, “Wow. So we might exchange Gitmo guys for two of our guys in Afghanistan?”

Doocy confirmed, “And this was a senior al Qaeda leader who has been held for years. And so this is a big gut check for President Biden. How badly does he want to really get the population of Gitmo down? Is it worth trading releasing a senior al Qaeda leader?”

Peter Doocy Wants to Know Why Joe Biden Did This in Secret…

Joe Biden has taken a significant step toward fulfilling his long-standing promise to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, transferring 11 Yemeni detainees to Oman and initiating negotiations for a potential… pic.twitter.com/h2U7LwJLLl

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As Biden pushes forward with his efforts to close Guantanamo, the transfer of detainees and potential negotiations with the Taliban highlight the delicate balance between fulfilling campaign promises and addressing national security concerns.

Whether these actions will lead to the permanent closure of Guantanamo or spark further debate remains to be seen.