Prisoners that the U.S. and coalition forces see as threats are set to be released by the Afghanistan government.
The U.S. and others are worried that upon release, the 88 prisoners would rejoin insurgent forces, reports The Wall Street Journal. President Hamid Karzai is being asked to stop the release plans.
According to a statement from Karzai's office, cases against 72 of the men have insufficient evidence to keep them locked up. A judicial commission that conferred with intelligence officials and a detention review board came to the conclusion the detainees should be released.
"It is a legal issue," Aimal Faizai, Karai's spokesman, said. "As the government we cannot allow the continued detention of innocent Afghans without trial."
The New York Times notes that the refusal to halt the release threatens to further undermine any relations the U.S. and Afghanistan have with each other, especially after the Afghan government refused to sign a long-term security agreement with the U.S.
In addition to the men being released, the possibility of more detainees, these ones viewed as much more dangerous to the U.S., being freed is currently being mulled over by the Afghan government.
"This is certainly not the end of the story," Faizi noted. "There are certainly others that we need to keep looking" that have been imprisoned for much longer and for equally weak reasons.
image: Wikimedia Commons
