Afghanistan: US To Hand Over Bagram Prison
By RFE RL
(RFE/RL) — Afghanistan’s government has announced it will take full control from the United States next week of the controversial Bagram prison.
President Hamid Karzai’s office said in a written statement that a ceremony will take place on September 10 to mark the handover.
Afghanistan and the United States signed an agreement in March to begin a six-month process to transfer control of the jail, north of Kabul, to Afghan authorities.
The prison is located at the Bagram air base, the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan.
The United States has faced allegations that inmates have been tortured and killed there.
The handover had been a sticking point to the conclusion of a pact between Washington and Kabul covering the long-term legal status of U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan.
