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The United States has repatriated a detainee from its Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba to Tunisia, the Department of Defence announced on Monday.

Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi, 59, was cleared for transfer following a "rigorous interagency review process," more than 22 years after his initial detention, according to a.

As of Monday, 26 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, 14 of whom are eligible for transfer.

The Pentagon did not comment on whether Yazidi admitted any wrongdoing.

"On 31 January 2024, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin notified Congress of his intent to support this repatriation and, in consultation with our partner in Tunisia, we completed the requirements for responsible transfer," the statement read.

Yazidi was reportedly captured by Pakistani authorities in late 2001 and was detained at Guantanamo Bay since it opened on 11 January 2002, according to rights groups.

A 2007 US military assessment accused Yazidi of being a member of al-Qaeda. However, human rights organisations have criticised such claims, arguing they often lack credibility.

The New York Times reported that Yazidi was never formally charged and had been approved for transfer as early as 2007 by both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. Despite this, no deal for his release was made, and Yazidi remained imprisoned for over a decade.

Yazidi’s release follows the recent repatriation of three other detainees as the Biden administration works to reduce the number of prisoners held at the controversial facility.

Earlier this month, Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu, detained since 2007 without charge, was transferred to Kenya.

Two others, Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep were returned to Malaysia after pleading guilty to war crimes linked to al-Qaeda.

US President Joe Biden pledged early in his administration to close Guantanamo Bay, also known as GTMO, but progress has been slow. The facility housed approximately 40 detainees at the start of Biden’s term.

Similar efforts were made by formerÌýPresident Barack Obama, who created the Periodic Review Board system to facilitate detainee transfers but failed to close the facility during his presidency.

Conversely, then-President Donald Trump reversed Obama’s policy, signing an executive order in 2018 to keep the detention centre operational.

Since its establishment in 2002 under the Bush administration, Guantanamo Bay has been used to detain individuals labelled as unlawful combatants in the US-led "War on Terror".

Located on a US naval base in south-eastern Cuba, the facility has been criticised for holding detainees without charge and for employing controversial interrogation methods.