Canada to turn over its Afghan prisoners to U.S. troops

Canada will turn over all Taliban and al Qaeda insurgents it holds in Afghanistan to the United States, Foreign Minister John Baird announced here Friday.The agreement, announced in the Canadian Parliament, will allow Canadian forces still in Afghanistan to turn over prisoners to the custody of the United States Forces at the Detention Facility in Parwan, Afghanistan."With the combat mission in Afghanistan now complete, I'm pleased to inform the House that our government has signed an arrangement with the Obama administration to facilitate the transfer of detainees captured by Canadian Forces in Afghanistan to U.S. custody at the detention facility in Parwan," Baird said in the House of Commons Friday.But he did not mention the number of the captives.The U.S. operates this facility with full agreement of the Afghan government and detainees can be prosecuted under Afghan law. Canadian officials will continue to be present on the ground to monitor all Canadian-transferred detainees until they are sentenced or released.The deal comes as Canada ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in July, but some 950 Canadian troops will remain at bases in Kabul and western Afghanistan on a training mission. Their operation is slated to end in the spring of 2014.A total of 158 Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, along with one Canadian diplomat and one Canadian journalist, since Canada sent 3,000 strong troops to join its NATO allies in 2002.The last combat troops of Canada will leave Afghanistan by Dec. 20, but several hundred Canadian military and police officers will remain in the country to train Afghan security forces.The agreement allows Canadians to monitor the treatment of the detainees, who will eventually be turned over to the Afghan government.The Canadian government faced criticism over the past several years for handing over prisoners to Afghan authorities who allegedly tortured them.The detention facility in Parwan, which is located north of Kabul, opened in January 2010. The Afghan government operates a court at the facility so that detainees can be prosecuted under Afghan law.