In a blow to US, Afghanistan releases suspected Taliban detainees
The detainees are accused of attacks on NATO and US troops. President Karzai dismisses the evidence against them, deepening his rift with his Western backers.
The detainees are accused of attacks on NATO and US troops. President Karzai dismisses the evidence against them, deepening his rift with his Western backers.
A daily roundup of terrorism and security issues
The Afghan government released 65 detainees today that US officials say are responsible for attacks on US and NATO troops. The release drew sharp criticism from US officials and further complicates already tense efforts to negotiate an extension to the US military mission in Afghanistan.
The men were released from the Parwan jail, previously known as the Bagram jail, outside of Kabul. The facility is a point of contention between the US 鈥� who says it has extensive evidence against the detainees 鈥� and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who 鈥渋nsists there is not enough evidence鈥� against the detainees. The president has called the jail a 鈥淭aliban-making factory,鈥� according to the BBC.
The government let free 65 of 88 Afghan detainees in the facility. The men were seen leaving the jail in small groups this morning, according to The New York Times.聽
The release is the latest of a series of acts by President Karzai that have inflamed tensions with the US government. Congress has threatened to withdraw the aid that Karzai鈥檚 government and the Afghan security forces depend on.
Until last year, Bagram was under the control of US and NATO forces, who then handed it over to Afghan authorities. US officials earlier this week warned Kabul that the detainees are likely to rejoin the Taliban and, rather than being set free, should be prosecuted in Afghan courts, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The US military today released a statement noting its聽鈥渟trong concern about the potential threats these detainees pose to coalition forces and Afghan security forces and civilians.鈥澛�
鈥淒etainees from this group of 65 are directly linked to attacks killing or wounding 32 US or coalition personnel and 23 Afghan security personnel or civilians,鈥� the statement said.聽
The US Embassy in Kabul said the Afghan government would 鈥渂ear responsibility鈥� for the decision. It complained that it had requested a thorough review of each case. "Instead, the evidence against them was never seriously considered.鈥�
An Afghan panel created to review the detainee cases found that there was not enough evidence against the prisoners and ordered their release, Abdul Shakor Dadras, a member of the panel, told the Times.
Earlier this week, congressional leaders in Washington warned Kabul that a prisoner release could jeopardize US aid:聽
The prisoner release comes at a time when US officials are already frustrated with Karzai鈥檚 refusal to sign a bilateral security agreement that would allow the US to maintain a small military force in Afghanistan for training and counterterrorism missions after the bulk of its troops withdraw in 2014.
Karzai stunned the US by refusing to sign the agreement, despite negotiating with US Secretary of State John Kerry last fall and getting approval from an Afghan council of elders. As a result, Obama administration officials are increasingly open to withdrawing all troops at the end of the year, the Times reports.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that the US military, who originally wanted the agreement signed by the end of 2013, has revised its plans to allow the Obama administration to wait until after the Afghanistan presidential elections this spring.
Peter Tomsen, writing for Politico, noted that those who wonder what Karzai is thinking should聽note his political motivations.