Bagram jail and its detainees; the victims of the hated politics from Kabul to Washington

Ahmad Zia Rahimzai, political analyst

Bagram jail and its Afghan and non-Afghan inmates are the victims of the so-called “war on terror” from inauspicious start of this war, which has recently caused the reaction of President Hamid Karzai and has also gained the national and international media attention as well.

To explain the story from its start needs much time, as the atrocities committed by the US forces requires more time to explain, but we focus just on the atrocities committed in the  last few days after releasing of 650 Afghan inmates from this jail.

As the media reported, after releasing of the detainees, who were released after having been cleared by the appointed reviewing committee, American and some Afghan parties, who prioritize the interests of US more than the interests of Afghanistan, claimed that 88 prisoners who’s documents are not considered yet are more dangerous and can pose a serious threat to security of Afghanistan.

But it looks interesting when Americans explicitly say that Taliban is not their enemy, then why are these prisoners still held captive in Bagram with horrible torturing? And why American troops and even republican senators are afraid of releasing these prisoners.

Meanwhile, releasing of prisoners from Bagram after consideration of appointed reviewing committee is a further strain on Afghan-U.S. relations already seriously soured upon the security agreement and American delegations taking Kabul under pressure to sign the agreement. It looks both sides are misusing the Bagram Jail and its detainees as a political force in their relations.

Interestingly, while Abdul Shukoor Dadras the head of the appointed reviewing committee announced that the documents provided by American and NATO troops cannot provide the reason to convict these 88 prisoners and they will be released soon, the directorate of national security administration of Afghanistan claims that they have provided the appointed reviewing committee with documents clarifying that at least 55 of these prisoners are dangerous.

Anyway, since Bagram is part of Afghan territory (however is not practically under authority of Afghanistan), so the detainees must be tried in accordance with Afghanistan judicial terms and system, but the interference of American senators in this case and as a result of these interferences, the decision of president Hamid Karzai to review the cases again, proves an obvious fact that neither the Afghanistan national sovereignty nor president Hamid Karzai himself are respected by Americans however president Hamid Karzai claims that we are getting this respect.

Even more regrettable, Hamid Karzai’s team in presidential palace is not structured from those that Karzai could count on them.

As seemed in the issue of the Bilateral Security Agreement between Kabul and Washington, from presidential candidates to members of the Afghan cabinet all are insisting on signing this agreement and are not agreed with the president.

Now, when disagreements between Kabul and Washington are soured again upon the Bagram jail and its detainees, more officials near to the president instead of supporting his position are supporting Americans in this regard.

There is no doubt that Hamid Karzai is using the Bagram jail and its recent case as a trump card and a political force against US particularly during the negotiations over bilateral security agreement, but obviously this fact cannot be denied that releasing of Bagram jail detainees who spent years under tortures without any guilt are as much important as the preconditions for bilateral security agreement for the people of Afghanistan and people will support the Afghan government in this regard to defend the rights of Afghans and their government against US and the western colonialism.