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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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US Military Review Calls for Afghan Prison Changes

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(Newser) – Afghanistan’s prison system, including the American-run Bagram facility, needs a complete overhaul, according to a new US military review. The current system, which has a dreadful reputation with both human rights advocates and Afghan civilians, houses radical inmates with more moderate prisoners. The offensive in the southern part of the country is likely to increase the population of the already-jammed facilities, where extremists are busily recruiting petty criminals, the New York Times reports.

The leaked report recommends education and job training for inmates convicted of less serious crimes, and the hiring and training of Afghan judges, prosecutors, and guards. Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote a private email last week to senior officers, emphasizing the importance of treating detainees humanely—another sign of official worry about prisoner abuse. “It is essential to who we are as a fighting force that we get this right,” he wrote.

An Afghan child peeps out of a waiting room at the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kabul, after visiting his relative at the US military base of Bagram.
An Afghan child peeps out of a waiting room at the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kabul, after visiting his relative at the US military base of Bagram.   (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
US Major General Douglas M. Stone, Deputy Commanding General, Detainee Operations, speaks during a joint press conference in Baghdad, Wednesday Oct. 10, 2007.
US Major General Douglas M. Stone, Deputy Commanding General, Detainee Operations, speaks during a joint press conference in Baghdad, Wednesday Oct. 10, 2007.   (AP Photo/Ali Abbas, pool)
In this photograph provided by CBS, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen appears on
In this photograph provided by CBS, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen appears on "Face the Nation" at the CBS studios in Washington Sunday, July 5, 2009.   (AP Photo/CBS Face the Nation, Karin Cooper)
An Afghan police officer stands guard in a prison after a gunbattle in Laghman province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, May 15, 2009.
An Afghan police officer stands guard in a prison after a gunbattle in Laghman province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, May 15, 2009.   (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
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JonmarkP
Jul 20, 09 11:14 AM CDT
Get our soldiers the hell out of there, NOW, Obama. Quit being afraid of the Pentagon-grown men walking around with lightning bolts on their hats? LOL The only people with the "US interests in the region" that Pox News is always talking about are war profiteers and transnational oil companies. If they want soldiers there, let 'em hire and pay for their own. I'm tired of having my tax money go to protect other people's investments. Reply
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