Afghan government begins taking over main US-led prison

Feb 27, 2010, 16:22 GMT

Kabul - The Afghan government began Saturday taking over the main US-led detention facility at Bagram airfield, the largest US base north of Kabul city, officials said.

The process will take up to one year before the Afghan authorities completely take control of the notorious jail, Mohammad Qasim Hashimzai, deputy justice minister, told a press conference in Kabul.

The prison has sparked criticism by human rights groups for its mistreatment of the prisoners in the past.

'The Afghan army forces will be in charge of the facility before the judicial authorities are trained and are ready to take charge,' Hashimi said.

The US military would train around 300 Afghan army soldiers as wardens before they are ready to take control of a newly-built facility.

The detention centre became a source of public anger in Afghanistan after two prisoners died after being beaten by the US interrogators in 2002.

There are currently more than 700 prisoners, including 30 non-Afghans inside the prison, according to US officials.

The inmates have been arrested on suspicion of involvement with al- Qaeda and Taliban networks during the anti-insurgent operations or in house-raids by US military forces in the county since the ouster of Taliban regime in late 2001.

Many of the prisoners have been held for years without charges of trial.

The US military built a new 60-million-dollar facility after the detainees complained about living conditions. The new facility was renamed Parwan Detention Facility after a northern province, north of Kabul, where Bagram is located.

In January the US military announced its readiness to hand over the centre to Afghan government, a move the Afghan government called it on that time as 'an important step towards the extension of Afghan national sovereignty.'