Mr. Duran lived in Sweden as a teenage refugee, has relatives in Canada and has “good options” for possible resettlement countries, Mr. Kadidal said. He described him as “smart and resourceful and has the experience of living in several different countries.”
The other high-value detainee who could become the first to go is Majid Khan, a U.S.-educated Pakistani man who pleaded guilty to war crimes charges and was sentenced to 26 years in prison starting in 2012. But last year, Mr. Khan and his lawyers reached a secret deal with a senior Pentagon official to end his sentence as early as next month and no later than February 2025.
Under that scenario, U.S. diplomats would have to negotiate his resettlement or repatriation as well.
Word of the approvals for more transfers came at a time of rising Covid-19 cases at the base, which on Monday forced the Navy hospital there to curtail services.
On Monday, the hospital spokeswoman, Dawn C. Grimes, reported that it had 88 “confirmed, active” cases, and 455 people in quarantine or isolation — including some who had come to the base unvaccinated and required a 14-day quarantine.
Two of the residents who tested positive for the virus were minors.
None have required hospitalization, but all were experiencing symptoms, Ms. Grimes said, including headaches, fever, shortness of breath and cough. “Currently, no cases are categorized as serious,” she said.