Twelve Guantanamo Bay detainees have been transferred to Afghanistan, Yemen and the Somaliland region, the United States Justice Department announced on Sunday. Six Yemenis, four Afghans and two Somalis were returned to their home countries last weekend.

The US intends to send 116 detainees to their countries of origin or to third countries willing to accept them. According to the US Justice Department, more than 560 Guantanamo detainees have been transferred to 36 countries since 2002.

Guantanamo once held some 775 inmates suspected of having links to Al Qaeda or the Taliban. Yemenis account for close to half of the remaining 198 detainees at the US military prison in Cuba. American officials fear Yemen lacks the security resources needed to prevent the returnees from joining militant groups in the country, where they believe Al Qaeda elements are active. But if the transfer succeeds, the US is prepared to repatriate more Guantanamo Yemenis.

There have also been concerns about the presence of Al Qaeda in Somalia. The breakaway region of Somaliland, however, has been relatively peaceful since the rest of the country descended into chaos in 1991.

US President Barack Obama has pledged to vacate and close the controversial detention centre in 2010. He has acknowledged that he will not meet his goal by the original target date of January 22nd 2010, in part because
too few countries are prepared to accept former Guantanamo inmates.

Last month American officials announced that some prisoners would be transferred to the Thomson prison in Illinois. The alleged mastermind of 9/11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four others will face a civilian trial in New York.