KABUL — NATO officials in Afghanistan this week stopped transferring detainees to Afghan custody in several provinces in response to a United Nations probe that found evidence of systematic torture at some detention centers, the military command said late Tuesday.
The move represents a serious setback for the United States and its allies in Afghanistan at a time when the international community is beginning to pull out troops and move more responsibility for security to the Afghans.
The findings of a report on detainee abuse, which the U.N. mission here intends to make public in coming days, will probably embolden insurgent groups that have sought to portray Afghan officials as the lackeys of Western crusaders.
Senior NATO officials decided to stop transferring detainees to Afghan custody in several key provinces after U.N. human-rights investigators briefed them on a review that has been underway for nearly a year. The U.N. team found evidence of widespread torture at five facilities run by the Afghan intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, and two jails run by police, officials familiar with the findings said.
The Washington Post
