US sends home Algerian held nearly 20 years at Guantanamo

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department says an Algerian man imprisoned at the Guantanamo Bay detention center for nearly 20 years has been released and sent back to his homeland. The Pentagon says Sufyian Barhoumi was repatriated with assurances from the Algerian government that he would be treated humanely there and that security measures would be imposed to reduce the risk that he could pose a threat in the future. The Pentagon isn’t providing details about those security measures, which could include restrictions on travel. A review board cleared Barhoumi for release in 2016 but his repatriation languished since then. His release brings the total held at the U.S. base in Cuba to 37 men.