U.S. signs Afghanistan detainee agreement

NEW YORK, March 9 (UPI) -- The United States has agreed to transfer control of detainees at Afghanistan's Parwan detention center to Afghan authorities. officials said.

The agreement was signed Friday by Gen. John R. Allen, the U.S. and NATO forces commander, and Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak.

The transfer is an important step forward in strategic partnership negotiations and in keeping with the desires of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Allen said.

"It is yet another example of the progress of transition, and our efforts to ensure that Afghanistan can never again be a safe haven for terrorists."

The two countries will work together during a transition period that will give the Afghan Ministry of Defense full control of the detainees within six months. The United States will provide continuing support to the Afghan commander for up to a year, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.

More than 3,000 suspected insurgents are being held in Parwan, where the accidental burning of Korans occurred last month. Karzai has said the Koran burnings would not have occurred if Afghans were in control of the detention center, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The issue of detainees was a major sticking point in negotiations for a strategic partnership agreement between the two countries. Karzai wanted immediate Afghan control while the United States had favored a gradual transition.

U.S. officials have said they were concerned about the premature release of Taliban suspects and human rights abuses found in many Afghan prisons, The New York Times reported.