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| US military transfers Parwan detention centre to Afghan government control | US military transfers Parwan detention centre to Afghan government control |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The US military has given control of its last detention facility in Afghanistan to the Afghan government, a year after the two sides initially agreed on the transfer. | The US military has given control of its last detention facility in Afghanistan to the Afghan government, a year after the two sides initially agreed on the transfer. |
| The handover of Parwan detention facility ends a bitter chapter in American relations with Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, who demanded control of the prison as a matter of national sovereignty. | The handover of Parwan detention facility ends a bitter chapter in American relations with Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, who demanded control of the prison as a matter of national sovereignty. |
| The dispute threw a pall over the ongoing negotiations for a bilateral security agreement that would govern the presence of US forces in Afghanistan after 2014. | The dispute threw a pall over the ongoing negotiations for a bilateral security agreement that would govern the presence of US forces in Afghanistan after 2014. |
| The top US commander in Afghanistan, General Joseph Dunford, handed over Parwan, located near the US-run Bagram military base north of Kabul, in a ceremony after signing an agreement with the Afghan defence minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. | The top US commander in Afghanistan, General Joseph Dunford, handed over Parwan, located near the US-run Bagram military base north of Kabul, in a ceremony after signing an agreement with the Afghan defence minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. |
| "The transfer of the detention facility is an important part of the overall transition of security lead to Afghan national security forces. This ceremony highlights an increasingly confident, capable and sovereign Afghanistan," Dunford said. | "The transfer of the detention facility is an important part of the overall transition of security lead to Afghan national security forces. This ceremony highlights an increasingly confident, capable and sovereign Afghanistan," Dunford said. |
| An initial agreement to hand over Parwan was signed a year ago, but efforts to follow through on it constantly stumbled over American concerns that the Afghan government would release prisoners that it considered dangerous. | An initial agreement to hand over Parwan was signed a year ago, but efforts to follow through on it constantly stumbled over American concerns that the Afghan government would release prisoners that it considered dangerous. |
| A key point was Afghanistan's contention that administrative detention, the practice of holding someone without formal charges, violated the country's laws. The US argued that international law allowed administrative detentions and that it could not risk the passage of some high-value detainees to the notoriously corrupt Afghan court system. | A key point was Afghanistan's contention that administrative detention, the practice of holding someone without formal charges, violated the country's laws. The US argued that international law allowed administrative detentions and that it could not risk the passage of some high-value detainees to the notoriously corrupt Afghan court system. |
| An initial deadline for the full handover passed last September and another this month. | An initial deadline for the full handover passed last September and another this month. |
| As part of the deal, the Afghan government can invoke a procedure that ensures prisoners considered dangerous will not be released. According to a senior US official in Washington, the agreement also includes a provision that allows the US and Kabul to work together to resolve any differences. | As part of the deal, the Afghan government can invoke a procedure that ensures prisoners considered dangerous will not be released. According to a senior US official in Washington, the agreement also includes a provision that allows the US and Kabul to work together to resolve any differences. |
| The detention centre houses about 3,000 prisoners and the majority are already under Afghan control. The US had not handed over a few hundred, and some of those under American authority do not have the right to a trial because the US considers them part of an ongoing conflict. | The detention centre houses about 3,000 prisoners and the majority are already under Afghan control. The US had not handed over a few hundred, and some of those under American authority do not have the right to a trial because the US considers them part of an ongoing conflict. |
| A new agreement, or memorandum of understanding, was signed at the ceremony by Dunford and Khan, but a copy was not immediately made public. The agreement supplants one signed last March that agreed to the handover. | A new agreement, or memorandum of understanding, was signed at the ceremony by Dunford and Khan, but a copy was not immediately made public. The agreement supplants one signed last March that agreed to the handover. |
| The handover should also open the way for a resumption of talks for a bilateral security agreement that would govern the presence of US forces in Afghanistan after 2014. | The handover should also open the way for a resumption of talks for a bilateral security agreement that would govern the presence of US forces in Afghanistan after 2014. |
| It is part of an ongoing effort to gradually shift control of the country's security to the Afghans as the US and allies move toward the full withdrawal of combat troops by the end of 2014. | It is part of an ongoing effort to gradually shift control of the country's security to the Afghans as the US and allies move toward the full withdrawal of combat troops by the end of 2014. |
| There are about 100,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan, including about 66,000 from the US. American officials have made no final decision on how many troops might remain in Afghanistan after 2014, although they have said that as many as 12,000 US and coalition forces could remain. | There are about 100,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan, including about 66,000 from the US. American officials have made no final decision on how many troops might remain in Afghanistan after 2014, although they have said that as many as 12,000 US and coalition forces could remain. |
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