KABUL - The US government has condemned an ordered release of the first wave of 88 prisoners from Bagram prison, saying that more than 40 per cent of the prisoners who are set to go were involved in direct attacks against the US and Afghan forces.
The Afghan Review Board (ARB), led by Abdul Shakoor Dadras, has ordered the release of the first 37 of 88 from Bagram, which the US military categorized them as "dangerous".
The US forces in Afghanistan has condemned the ordered release, saying 17 of the 37 released prisoners are linked to the production of IEDs and killing 11 Afghan forces.
"This extra-judicial release of detainees is a major step backward in further developing the rule of law in Afghanistan. The ARB is releasing these individuals without referral to an investigative body or the Afghan justice system despite the fact that the US has disputed these 88 cases," the US military statement said.
"Of the 88 detainees under dispute, 40 percent have participated in direct attacks wounding or killing 57 Afghan citizens and security force members and 30 percent participated in direct attacks wounding or killing 60 US or coalition force members," the statement said.
The Afghan government has not made any comments on it yet.
The US military says that het US has provided "extensive information and evidence on each of the 88 detainees. The disputed cases contain strong evidence of violations of Afghan law or strong investigative leads requiring review by the Saranwal for prosecution or further investigation by the National Directorate of Security."
President Hamid Karzai on Saturday that the Bagram prison was a "Talib-making factory". "Bagram [prison] is a place where innocent people are tortured and insulted and made dangerous criminal," he said.
The US military handed over full control of the only US-run prison in Afghanistan to the Afghan government nearly one year ago, easing tensions over one of the longest-running standoffs between Kabul and Washington.
Over 500 prisoners, many of which captured under the suspicion of being Taliban or other militant group members, have been released since last August.
After controversy erupted surrounding the planned release of some 88 prisoners from Bagram prison, the committee assigned to sifting through Bagram inmate cases by Karzai announced recently that it would reopen the files of 10 new detainees under consideration for release. (Tolonews)