Pentagon: Six Guantanamo detainees sent to Uruguay

he U.S. government said Sunday that six detainees from Guantanamo Bay have been sent to Uruguay for resettlement, the first time prisoners from the infamous facility have been transferred to South America. The release brings the total number of prisoners held at Guantanamo to 136, down from a one-time high of nearly 800.

Officials told NBC News the men departed Guantanamo on Saturday morning and arrived in Uruguay late that night. When detainees are transferred, the U.S. government is given assurances that the men will be treated humanely, but they are not imprisoned in their new home countries. Even more releases are expected before the end of this year, according to an administration official.