‘US must close prison in Kandahar’

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has issued a decree for the quick closure of a US prison located at Kandahar Airfield in the troubled southern province of Kandahar in Afghanistan.

According to AFP, foreign-run prisons have been a source of tension between Washington and Kabul since 2012, with infamous cases of torture and deaths capturing headlines on a regular basis.

In February, the Afghan government released 65 detainees from another US-run notorious prison at Bagram Air Base despite pressure from American officials who claimed the prisoners were dangerous militants.

The US military had warned Kabul that the militants were linked to attacks that had left around 30 NATO forces and nearly two dozen Afghans dead or wounded.

The move by the Afghan government sparked a firm rebuke from American representatives.

Kabul said there was insufficient evidence to continue to hold the inmates, who were imprisoned without judicial review by Afghan authorities.