KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Afghan military forces are slowly taking control over detainee operations in the country, the top U.S. military commander in the country said.
U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus said military units under his command were taking part in job training and rehabilitation programs with the aim of handing detainee operations to their Afghan counterparts, the U.S. Defense Department said.
The Afghan government signed a memorandum of understanding in January that outlines a process for the Afghan Defense Ministry to take charge of detainees. Eligible detainees under a reintegration program, meanwhile, are allowed to take part in vocational training.
Afghan officials under the program are forming tribal councils and review boards that would work with local communities on reintegration efforts, the Pentagon added.
Kabul this week said it formed a high council that would oversee a broad reconciliation and reintegration program for moderate members of the Taliban.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai during his May visit to Washington outlined a program that would allow certain members of the Taliban to join the government process provided they renounce violence.
Petraeus lauded the strategy as an effective part of counterinsurgency doctrine.
