Afghanistan releases 65 'dangerous' prisoners despite American protest

[Zarvan]

The Afghan government has released 65 detainees from a former American prison despite protests from the U.S. military over concerns the "dangerous" fighters will return to the battlefield to kill coalition and Afghan forces.

Maj. Nimatullah Khaki, a spokesman for the Parwan Detention Facility at Bagram Air Base, said all 65 were freed on Thursday morning. He said they were laughing and smiling as they boarded a bus to leave the facility.

President Hamid Karzai ordered their release several weeks ago from prison facility, drawing angry denunciations from the U.S. and straining relations between the two countries ahead of the year-end withdrawal of most international combat troops.

On the eve of the controversial prisoner release, a spokesman for the U.S. military warned the Afghan government and Karzai not to go ahead with the plan -- since several of the 65 detainees are tied to attacks on Americans.

"Detainees from this group of 65 are directly linked to attacks killing or wounding 32 U.S. or coalition personnel and 23 Afghan security personnel or civilians," a spokesman for U.S. Forces Afghanistan said in a statement.

"It remains the position of USFOR-A that violent criminals who harm Afghans and threaten the peace and security of Afghanistan should face justice in the Afghan courts, where a fair and transparent trial would determine their guilt or innocence."

Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Zair Azimi confirmed the release Thursday but would not comment on U.S concerns.

"Our responsibility is the protection of the prisoners. That is all," Azimi told The Associated Press.

A statement from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Thursday called the release "deeply regrettable" and called on Karzai's government to ensure those released do not commit new acts of violence.

"We requested a thorough review of each case. Instead, the evidence against them was never seriously considered," the embassy statement said, adding, "The Afghan government bears responsibility for the results of its decision."

Among the 65 detainees believed to have walked free Thursday morning are:

-- Mohammad Wali, apprehended in Helmand province in May 2013. He is a suspected Taliban explosives expert who reportedly was behind IEDs targeting ANSF and coalition forces. He was biometrically linked to two IED incidents, plus a latent fingerprint match linked him to another IED in Helmand province. Wali's personal property tested positive for multiple types of explosives in an explosive-residue test after his capture.

-- Nek Mohammad, captured in Kandahar province in May 2013. He is accused of facilitating rocket attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He was apprehended with several 107mm artillery shells, mortar rounds and improvised explosive components, including at least 25 pounds of homemade explosives.

-- Mohammadullah, apprehended in Paktiya province in May 2013. He is believed to be a Haqqani network IED specialist who builds and sets IED's. Mohammadullah was biometrically linked to an IED and tested positive for four types of explosives in an explosive-residue test. He was captured with his Haqqani commander, Ehsanullah, who is also being released.

-- Ehsanullah, captured in Paktiya province in May 2013. He is a suspected Haqqani network commander who plans IED operations and attacks against ANSF and coalition forces. He was biometrically linked to a radio-controlled IED and tested positive for two types of explosives in an explosive-residue test.

At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., warned Karzai that continuing with plans to release these suspected terrorists, captured by U.S. forces and handed over to the Afghans for trial, would further damage the relationship with the U.S.

Graham said he planned to introduce a resolution condemning the release and would urge his Senate colleagues to cut all developmental aid until after the upcoming Afghan presidential election, which is slated for April when Karzai is constitutionally required to step down.

According to the Defense Department, 17 of the prisoners Karzai released are directly linked to the production and placement of roadside bombs. Twenty-three of them tested positive for explosive residue when they were captured, according the Pentagon.

But Afghan officials say that they have not been able to find enough evidence to build a case against any of the 88 prisoners. Critics of the move say Karzai is doing this right now to help with his negotiations with the Taliban and that he is preparing for when U.S. forces leave the region. Karzai, likely for the same reason, also continues to refuse to sign a bilateral security agreement that the U.S. says it needs in order for any U.S. troops to remain in Afghanistan after the end of this year.

"We've undercut him all along," said Richard Grenell, a former spokesman for several U.S. ambassadors to the United Nations. "First of all, this administration has terrible relations with Karzai. We tried to put a Taliban office in Qatar, and then had to pull it back. He [Karzai] took that as a signal that we were undercutting him, and his power."

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report
Afghanistan releases 65 'dangerous' prisoners despite American protest | Fox News

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Afghan authorities say they don't have enough evidence to keep 65 prisoners the U.S. calls "dangerous insurgents" behind bars in Bagram prison.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: "We took this decision according to our law," the Afghan attorney general says
• The U.S. Embassy in Kabul says the prisoner release is "deeply regrettable"
• The U.S. military says some of those freed are linked to attacks on American troops
• Afghanistan says it doesn't have enough evidence to keep them behind bars

(CNN) -- Afghan authorities released 65 prisoners Thursday despite strong objections from the United States, which calls them "dangerous insurgents" who pose a threat to security forces and civilians.

The U.S. military in Afghanistan said some of the men are "directly linked" to attacks that killed or wounded 32 American or coalition service members and 23 Afghan security personnel or civilians.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul called the move "deeply regrettable," saying the Afghan government "bears responsibility for the results of its decision."

The controversial prisoner release comes amid broader tensions between Washington and Kabul over Afghan President Hamid Karzai's current unwillingness to sign a bilateral security agreement to keep some U.S. and other coalition troops in Afghanistan after this year.

U.S. authorities have repeatedly aired in public their displeasure over the likely release of the prisoners.

"We have made clear our judgment that these individuals should be prosecuted under Afghan law. We requested that the cases be carefully reviewed," the U.S. military said ahead of the release. "But the evidence against them was never seriously considered, including by the attorney general, given the short time since the decision was made to transfer these cases to the Afghan legal system."

Releasing them, the military said, violates agreements between the United States and Afghanistan and is "a major step backward for the rule of law in Afghanistan."

For its part, Afghanistan says it doesn't have enough evidence to keep the 65 prisoners behind bars.

"We took this decision according to our law," said Mohammad Ishaq Aloko, the Afghan attorney general.

Abdul Shukor Dadras, head of the Afghan Review Board, said the attorney general ordered the prisoners' release from the Parwan Detention Center -- formerly known as Bagram prison -- after a careful review of 88 cases.

The U.S. military's statement detailed evidence against several of the suspects, noting that the group included an alleged Taliban explosives expert, a suspected Haqqani network commander and a specialist accused of building and placing improvised explosive devices.

"These individuals are dangerous," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Wednesday. "They pose threats to the safety and security of the Afghan people and the Afghan state."

It's not the first time Afghanistan's decision to release prisoners has upset the United States.

The early and pretrial release of prisoners by the Afghan government, at times at Karzai's hand, frustrated U.S. officials, diplomatic documents released in 2010 by WikiLeaks revealed.

CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet, Qadir Sediqi, Barbara Starr, Elizabeth Joseph and Sara Mazloumsaki contributed to this report.
Afghanistan releases 65 prisoners despite U.S. objections - CNN.com