Uruguay accepted six men who were detained at Guantanamo for more than a decade Sunday, in a move that will help President Barack Obama fulfill his promise to close the military prison.

The announcement of the transfer of the refugees first came to light in mid-July, and the country was divided over the move, Agence France-Presse reported.

Uruguay has a population of 3.2 million, and the Muslim population is small.

After Obama closed the detention center, about 600 prisoners were released back to their home countries. But some remained because returning was not an option -- either because they face harm or persecution or due to a lack of security or stability in their home countries.

Uruguay's President Jose Mujica said the country was known as a place that accepts refugees.

After the move, the Pentagon said 136 detainees now remain, and 67 of those have been approved for release.

The six taken to Uruguay, including four other Syrians, a Palestinian and a Tunisian, all in their 30s and 40s, were among the first to arrive in Guantanamo in 2002.

One of those Syrian prisoners Jihad Diyab, 43, who had staged a hunger strike and requested a court order to stop prison officials from force-feeding him.

Mujica told The Associated Press in August the detainees would be allowed to move freely and had even been offered positions at businesses in the country.

But others were not so welcoming, since the refugees are Muslim. The small Muslim population in the country keep to themselves.

"Uruguay is an open country, made up of easygoing people who accept all cultures. But for a significant number, Islam has a bad image," said Jaled Elqut, an Egyptian native and prayer leader at an Islamic cultural center in Montevideo.

The country has only 300 Muslims, a majority of which live along the border near neighboring Brazil and Argentina, where larger Muslim populations reside.