Kabul, Feb 13 (IANS) Afghanistan Thursday released 65 of 88 “dangerous” prisoners from the former US-run detention centre in Bagram near Kabul in spite of US opposition, officials said.
The decision was taken by the review board appointed by President Hamid Karzai. The prisoners’ release was confirmed by the Afghan Attorney General Office, prison spokesman Nimatullah Khaki told Xinhua.
The decision was taken last month on the ground that the prisoners were innocent or held without adequate evidence.
However, the US military in Afghanistan was opposed to the decision to release those inmates, calling them “dangerous criminals”.
The US forces have repeatedly expressed strong concern about the potential threats these detainees pose to the forces and Afghan security forces and civilians.
The Bagram prison houses more than 3,000 suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives. Afghanistan released more than 650 prisoners from the jail last month.