Toronto Star: Afghan detainees decision surprises allies

[tuvor]

OTTAWA–Canada's allies say they knew nothing about a Canadian decision to stop turning over battlefield detainees to the Afghan authorities, and opposition parties in Ottawa are charging cover-up over the whole affair.

(snip)

News of Canada's change in handling prisoners caused surprise both in Washington and at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

"To make a long story short, we went, `Oh, didn't know that!" said Lieut. Col. Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesperson, adding that Canada's decision raises issues for all governments with troops in Afghanistan.

(snip)

At NATO, which is co-ordinating the Afghan mission, officials only learned about the Canadian about-face through news reports.

(snip)

"Our policy within NATO is that within 96 hours, except on very special dispensation from the commander, detainees should be either released or handed over to the Afghan authorities," he said. "We will be in discussion with the Canadian authorities about all of this."

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/297384

[daleo]

1. If the military hasn't been turning detainees over to the Afghanistan government

What have they been doing with them?

NATO claims ignorance, so they can't have been handing them over to some NATO facility. So, either Canada must have its own little concentration camp at the Kandahar airbase, or we have been letting them go.

Which is it?

[tuvor]

2. Steve'd love to tell you, but he can't. National security, y'unnerstand.

Harper refuses to discuss Afghan detainees as controversy rages

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper repeatedly refused to explain Monday what Canada is doing with its prisoners in Afghanistan as he was pounded with questions about the government's mysterious detainee policy.

Harper described the issue as a matter of national security, leaving opposition politicians scratching their heads as they pointed out that Canadians know far more about U.S. prisoners than they do about their own.

One human-rights lawyer has described the issue as a matter of national embarrassment - not national security.

But Harper stuck to his guns....

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gre0xJs-H6iDU7bLMdV3Na_FT3jQ