British military vehicles are parked in a compound in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. (file photo)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has set a deadline for the British armed forces to hand over all Afghans in Camp Bastion to the government within two weeks.
The announcement by Karzai’s spokesperson on Saturday came after last week’s revelations that the UK forces in Afghanistan are holding over 90 Afghan nationals without trial.
The presidential spokesperson says no foreign country has the right to run detention centers inside Afghanistan and that the detaining of Afghan citizens by foreign troops is against the country’s sovereignty.
The illegal detentions were made during military operations. The British kept the Afghans in Camp Bastion jail in southern Helmand province for a long time without trial.
British forces in Afghanistan are normally allowed to detain suspects for four days.
The detaineesâ„¢ lawyers said they have been held in custody without charge for up to 14 months, which amounts to unlawful detention and internment. Lawyers say the case is against international law and the British constitution.
Last week, General Zahir Azimi, a spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, also criticized the detentions as Å“illegal” and “inhuman.”
“The prisoners must be handed over to the Afghan authorities,” he said. “After their handover to us, they will be dealt with according to our judicial laws, and the agreements reached with the international community.”
British forces have been based in Helmand province since the US-led war in Afghanistan began in 2001. Some 9,000 British troops are currently stationed in the war-ravaged country.
JR/AS
This article originally appeared on: Press TV