The United States has freed up to 20 detainees from a military prison in Afghanistan over the past two years in an effort to promote reconciliation with insurgent groups, the US embassy said Monday. The programme was rarely used and the decision to release any detainees took into account whether they posed any further security threat, spokesman Gavin Sundwall said after the Washington Post first reported the move on Monday.
A proposed detainee release begins with conversations between US military officials and insurgent commanders or local Afghan elders — who promise to reduce violence in their district if certain insurgents are freed, the Post said. “Fewer than 20 detainees have ever been released under this program, and the decision to release a detainee takes into account whether they pose any further security threat.