( CNN ) The Obama administration hopes to transfer dozens of detainees from Guantanamo Bay in the next six months as part of a stepped-up effort to reduce the population there , according to a U.S. official . As many as five detainees are expected to be moved from the detention facility in the next few days , with several more transfers anticipated in early 2015 , the official said on condition of anonymity . The news comes less than a week after the United States announced it had repatriated four detainees from Guantanamo to Afghanistan , leaving 132 detainees at the U.S. naval base in southeastern Cuba . President Barack Obama hinted at the intensified effort in an exclusive interview on CNN 's `` State of the Union '' on Sunday , saying , `` I 'm going to be doing everything I can to close it . '' `` It is something that continues to inspire jihadists and extremists around the world , the fact that these folks are being held , '' Obama said . `` It is contrary to our values and it is wildly expensive . We 're spending millions for each individual there . And we have drawn down the population there significantly . '' Once a detainee is deemed no longer a risk , they are either transferred back to their country of origin , or a third country that is willing to take them . Sixty-four of the 132 remaining detainees have been ruled eligible for transfer . Of the 64 eligible , 54 are from Yemen . But the United States is not willing , at this point , to send them back to Yemen because of concerns that the government -- under pressure from al Qaeda and Houthi militants -- can not ensure they do not join al Qaeda elements there . The administration for the last several months has been trying to find a country that will take the Yemenis and provide security and human rights assurances for them . The official said there are ongoing talks to try to find countries to take all 64 detainees approved for transfer . An additional 20 detainees from Yemen still are considered too dangerous to be transferred , as are several detainees accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks , including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed . The number of remaining detainees is down significantly from the nearly 800 that had been held there after Guantanamo was repurposed to hold detainees from the United States ' war on terror . The administration of then-President George W. Bush claimed that , since Gitmo detainees were n't held on American soil , they could be considered `` enemy combatants '' and be denied some legal protections . Almost all of the 800 detainees were held without charges . This legal limbo , as well as allegations of torture and other mistreatment , spurred criticism of the facility popularly known as Gitmo . Obama pledged to shut it down as part of his 2008 campaign , but saw his plans thwarted by opposition from Congress , which among other things prevented him from transferring remaining detainees to U.S. prisons .
As many as 5 detainees are expected to be moved in the next few days , official says . News comes less than a week after 4 detainees were repatriated to Afghanistan . President Obama tells CNN he 's `` going to be doing everything I can to close it . '' Guantanamo Bay has held nearly 800 detainees ; there are now 132 .