On March 9, 2012, the United States government agreed to significantly accelerate the transfer of detained insurgents to Afghan government control while ratainining a veto over the ones that can be released. The memorandum of understanding gives Afghanistan immediate control of detainees officially. However, it provides for a six-month period of transition to full Afghan control of the detainees.
During the six-month trandsition period, the U.S. will gradually transfer custody of the prisoners it holds to Afghan authority. THe first 500 prisoners will be transferred within 45 days.
Under the memorandum of understanding the U.S. government will continue to monitor treatment of prisoners in an effort to prevent human rights abuses that exist in many Afghan prisons.
The MOU allows the U.S. to retain custody of non-Afghan prisoners. There are about fifty people accused of being al Qaeda militants from Pakistan, Arab countries and Central Asia.
One of the sensitive aspects of the MOU and the acceleration of the transfer is that most of the allies will not be able to transfer captured al Qaeda insurgents to Afghan authorities unless the Aghan treatment of prisoners meets international human rights standards. Until now reports have reguarly depicted the glaring deficiencies in the treatment by Afghan authorities of persons detained.