The U.S. has ended its operation of prisons in Afghanistan with the release of the final three detainees from the Parwan Detention Center.
{mosads}”The Defense Department no longer operates detention facilities in Afghanistan nor maintains custody of any detainees,” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Myles Caggins told The Associated Press. Caggins added that the government of Afghanistan will be responsible for any detention facilities, as President Obama moves to wind down the U.S. presence in the country.
Two of those detainees were transferred on Wednesday to Afghan custody for possible prosecution and a third, who is not considered a threat, is seeking resettlement in another country, according to the AP.
Former Osama bin Laden bodyguard Redha al-Najar is one of the two detainees who might face prosecution. He was subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques by the CIA in 2002, according to the just-released Senate Intelligence Committee’s report.
Al-Najar, who was held at the CIA facility in Afghanistan known as the “salt pit,” faced isolation in total darkness, lowering quality of food, cold temperatures, loud music 24 hours a day, stress positions, shackling and hooding.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is preparing more detainee releases from Guantánamo Bay.
Obama met last month with top administration officials urging faster action in closing the facility in Cuba, one of his top campaign promises.
Since that Nov. 17 meeting, a dozen Guantánamo prisoners have been transferred overseas — more than all of last year and the most since 2010. There are now 136 detainees left at the facility. Officials told the AP that at least five more will be moved by Dec. 31.