Jen Psaki, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, has indicated that the U.S. considers the Afghan government's push to release inmates from Bagram prison a mistake, and that once freed, the detainees could pose a major threat to the Afghan people.
U.S. officials first began criticizing the possible release of prisoners from Bagram earlier this year, when President Hamid Karzai created a review committee to evaluate cases at the prison and decide who was fit for release. Since August 2013, over 500 inmates have been freed, despite concerns being raised by the U.S. and its allies.
At the start of the new year, the Afghan government announced the release of some 88 prisoners that the U.S. labeled as "dangerous" and strongly opposed being freed. Now, the number of inmates being released has fallen to 72, with the other 16 being put through another round of vetting, yet the U.S.' stance has not wavered.
"These 72 detainees are dangerous criminals against whom there is strong evidence linking them to terror-related crimes, including the use of improvised explosive devices, the largest killer of Afghan civilians," Psaki said.
U.S. officials have also suggested that the release of these inmates without proper assessment of their criminal cases by legal and judicial organs could pose a serious threat to the security of the Afghan people and the United States. They have said procedure being taken with the releases raises questions about the credibility of the legal and judicial institutions of Afghanistan, which are being cut out of the decision-making process.
Meanwhile, opposition to the releases has mounted in Afghanistan itself, with a number of MPs recently declaring the releases a betrayal of the Afghan people. Many took aim at the Review Committee established by Karzai and charged with overseeing the releases.
"The establishment of such a commission is a waste of time, because this commission hasn't been formed for the release of innocent detainees, the formation of these kinds of commissions are solely aimed at implementing the designs of neighboring countries," Kandahar MP Lalai Hamidzai said.
"The government of Afghanistan should show the innocence of these individuals through a fair trial, but there is no sign of such an impartial trial, the decision of an illegal institution raises some doubts amongst the people," Ghazni MP Shah Gul Rezayee said. "This could also affect bilateral ties between Afghanistan and western countries."
When asked about whether releasing the inmates lowers the chance that a security deal will ultimately be signed between the U.S. and Afghanistan, State Department spokesperson Psaki said "time will tell."
Reportedly, in a meeting presided over by President Karzai on Thursday, the acting head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) Rahmatollah Nabil said that assessments indicated that among the prisoners being considered for release this month, 45 detainees have no criminal background and another 27 prisoners did not have sufficient evidence against them.
Nabil confirmed that criminal cases and possible evidence existed against only 16 of the detainees in question. During the meeting, it was decided that those 16 files would be sent to the Attorney General's office for further review before going any further.