Brothers held at Guantánamo Bay for 2 decades released to Pakistan

• They've been detained at Guantánamo Bay since 2004 after being held at a C.I.A.-run detention site in Afghanistan for nearly two years, per the Times.

Zoom out: Their transfers come as the Biden administration works to fulfill its promise to close the Guantánamo prison.

• Another detainee, Majid Khan, who admitted to his role as an al-Qaeda courier, was transferred to Belize earlier this month after completing his sentence.
• Saifullah Paracha, who was held at the detention center since 2003 on suspicion of being tied to al-Qaeda, was released in October and was never charged with a crime.

Details: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in January notified Congress of his intent to repatriate both men to the Pakistani government, per the Defense Department.

• Their transfers were approved in 2021 after it was determined that detaining the men was "no longer necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat" to national security.
• It's not clear why the men were not released sooner.

Of note: 32 people remain detained at Guantánamo Bay, with 18 eligible for transfer, per the DOD.