Afghanistan readies prisons for transfer of Gitmo detainees News
Afghanistan readies prisons for transfer of Gitmo detainees

[JURIST] Afghanistan's defense ministry said Monday that the country is preparing prison facilities to hold detainees who are expected to be transferred from the US prison camp in Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive]. Defense ministry spokesman General Mohammad Zahir Azimi said US and Afghan officials met Sunday to discuss the transfer of prisoners, but no date has yet been agreed upon for the hand-over. Azimi said the discussions centered around the logistics for the prisoners' transfer, many of whom have been held for nearly four years. Earlier this year, the US agreed to gradually release prisoners to Afghanistan [JURIST report] after the country developed the capacity to hold them. Several Afghan prisoners have already been released from Guantanamo Bay, including former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef [BBC profile], who was transferred last month. From Pakistan, the News International has more.