Oman said Monday it accepted 10 detainees from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay ahead of President Barack Obama leaving office, part of his efforts to shrink the facility he promised to close. The sultanate of Oman, on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, previously accepted 10 Guantanamo prisoners from Yemen in January 2016. Oman, ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said since 1970, has served as an interlocutor between the West and Iran. Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, remains in the grip of a civil war and a Saudi-led military offensive against the rebels — making returning Guantanamo detainees there impossible. The majority of Guantanamo prisoners released have been sent to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Source: ABC News January 16, 2017 06:48 UTC