Afghanistan orders release of 72 ‘Taliban’ prisoners

Afghanistan has ordered the release of 72 prisoners considered by the US to post a serious threat to the country's security due to insufficient evidence against them, President Hamid Karzai's office said.

The latest decision adds further stain to Kabul's difficult relationship with Washington. The two countries are already at odds over a draft deal to allow US forces to continue counter-terrorism operations.

During a meeting of top judicial officers, Chairman President Hamid Karzai explained how after he had asked an Afghan spy chief to draw up dossiers on the prisoners, investigations only turned up solid evidence against 16 of the controversial prisoners.

The US embassy and NATO forces in Afghanistan did not comment on the government's move, but they had previously said there is "ample evidence" to suspect all the men of a role in attacks that killed or wounded 60 foreign soldiers and 57 Afghans.

Moreover, the US had said that some of the most dangerous prisoners were captured on the basis of intelligence too sensitive toos hare.

"45 other prisoners were deemed completely innocent with no evidence emerging against them, while a further 27 had no direct and concrete connections with the attacks," President Karzai said.

While acknowledging the impending disagreements between his country and the US, Karzai said that innocent Afghan citizens could no longer be kept in detention for months and years without a trial.

Military backed Stars and Stripes newspaper reported that DNA and fingerprint evidence linked some men to the killings, while others were captured with large weapons cache.

Among those set free were the deputy Taliban commander for southern Kandahar province, who was released days Canadian forces captured him in 2010. In 2007 a top fighter from western Afghanistan walked out of prison on Karzai's orders, after village elders vouched for him.

He was soon uniting feuding insurgent factions, and was personally responsible for the deaths of more than 30 policemen before he was killed in 2009.

Afghanistan and US are already at odds over a bilateral security agreement that would keep US troops in the country for another decade. After the US believed negotiations were finished, and a national assembly of prominent Afghans endorsed the deal at the end of last year, Karzai made new demands and said he was happy to delay signing for months until they were met.