Washington, Kabul reach agreement on Bagram: Pentagon
Iran Press TV
Sat Mar 23, 2013 11:12PM GMT
The United States says it has reached an agreement with Afghanistan over the handover of the notorious Bagram prison to the Afghan government.
The deal to transfer full responsibility of the Bagram prison, also called the Parwan Detention Facility, to Afghan authorities was reached following a telephone talk between US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday, the Pentagon said in a statement, Reuters reported.
"The (US defense) secretary welcomed President Karzai's commitment that the transfer will be carried out in a way that assures the safety of the Afghan people and coalition forces by keeping dangerous individuals detained in a secure and humane manner in accordance with Afghan law," Pentagon spokesman George Little said.
The handover was scheduled to take place at the beginning of March, but negotiations broke off after Washington said it would block the release of some detainees it considers dangerous. Afghan officials have now reassured Washington that dangerous militants will remain off the battlefield.
Since March 2012, when Washington and Kabul reached an agreement to fully handover the Bagram prison to the Afghan government, more than 3,000 detainees have either been handed over to the Afghan authorities or released.
In November 2012, Karzai ordered Afghan forces to take control of the prison and accused US officials of failing to fully comply with the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding on Detentions.
The US-led war in Afghanistan began in 2001. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across Afghanistan, despite the presence of about over 100,000 US-led troops.
GJH/AS
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