US agrees to deadline on transfer of Afghan jail

The deal removes a sticking point that had threatened to derail talks between America and the government of president Hamid Karzai for a long-term partnership that is critical to defining the US role as it reduces troop numbers.

Both sides have been in negotiations for months over a partnership agreement, and Mr Karzai had set a deadline of yesterday for the US to hand over the 3,000 Afghans it holds at its Parwan detention facility.

Their deal extends the deadline for handing over the detainees but for the first time spells out an American commitment to a transfer date. Under the agreement, the US will still have access to Parwan and will be able to block the release of detainees it thinks still pose a threat.

The accord gives a boost to the stalled talks over formalising a role for US forces after Nato’s scheduled transfer of security responsibility to the Afghan government at the end of 2014.

The detainee issue had been a major point of contention, as well as the still unresolved question of night raids by international troops on the homes of suspected militants, which have caused widespread anger among Afghans and which Karzai has demanded be halted.

US General John Allen, the commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, welcomed the deal as a sign of real progress toward the larger partnership.

According to the document, the US will continue to provide logistical support for 12 months and a joint American-Afghan commission will decide on any detainee releases until a more permanent pact is adopted.

Sources said the first 500 detainees are expected to be transferred within 45 days.

Yesterday’s memorandum comes as relations between America and Afghanistan have deteriorated in recent weeks following the accidental burning of Korans at Bagram military base, north of Kabul, that sparked riots and attacks in which at least 30 people were killed.