US condemns orders for release of detainees

KABUL (Pajhwok): The US military on Monday condemned the planned release of the first 37 of 88 dangerous individuals whom it called “legitimate threats to security”.

The US forces said it had learnt the Afghan Review Board (ARB), led by Abdul Shakoor Dadras, had ordered the release of the individuals who should be prosecuted or further investigated.

A statement from the US military said: “This extra-judicial release of detainees is a major step backward in further developing the rule of law in Afghanistan. The ARB is releasing these individuals without referral to an investigative body or the Afghan justice system…”

It added the US has exercised its option under the March 2013 Memorandum of Understanding to dispute the release of these individuals and seek a bilateral exchange of views in all 88 disputed cases.

According to statement, the ARB was established to provide an administrative review of former US Law of Armed Conflict detainees transitioning to the Afghan criminal justice system.

Forty percent of the detainees had participated in direct attacks wounding or killing 57 Afghan citizens and security force members and 30 percent were involved in assaults wounding or killing 60 US or coalition members, it claimed.

The US said it had provided information and evidence on each of the 88 detainees. The disputed cases contain strong evidence of violations of Afghan law or investigative leads requiring review for prosecution.

pr/mud

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