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Obama effort leads to surge in Guantanamo releases

FILE - House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., questions Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during the committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this June 11, 2014 file photo. The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, has objected to transfers of Guantanamo detainees while the U.S. military is fighting terrorists. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, McKeon wrote Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday Dec. 10, 2014 raising concerns about unidentified detainees that the Pentagon recently notified Congress it intended to transfer. “The release of these detainees raises considerable questions and concerns about the risk to Americans,” the California Republican wrote. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) FILE - House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., questions Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during the committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this June 11, 2014 file photo. The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, has objected to transfers of Guantanamo detainees while the U.S. military is fighting terrorists. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, McKeon wrote Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday Dec. 10, 2014 raising concerns about unidentified detainees that the Pentagon recently notified Congress it intended to transfer. “The release of these detainees raises considerable questions and concerns about the risk to Americans,” the California Republican wrote. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

By Associated Press December 11, 2014 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is at a turning point after a recent surge in transfers.

The prisoner population is at 136 – down from a high of near 700 terror suspects. It’s the lowest population since shortly after Guantanamo opened in January 2002. Half of those remaining have been cleared for transfer, with officials saying at least five will move by year’s end.

The new momentum comes after transfers were held up for much of the year by a slow approval process at the Pentagon. Last month, Obama summoned top administration officials to the White House to make it clear he wanted more action.

Since then, the U.S. has transferred a dozen prisoners overseas. That’s more than all of last year and the most since 2010.