Kabul demands British forces transfer prisoners within weeks

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Via Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/09/us-afghanistan-prisoners-britain-idUSBRE95803S20130609

(Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai demanded on Saturday that Britain hand over within two weeks more than 80 prisoners of war being held in a British base in the south, saying the detention was against Afghan law and a breach of sovereignty.

The issue of prisoner transfers is an irritant in the relationship Karzai between and his Western backers, and has become more pronounced as the NATO-led international force prepares to pull out most of its troops by the end of next year.

Last month, a British legal firm said the detention of up to 85 Afghans for as long as 14 months in the British-controlled Camp Bastion in Helmand province was in breach of British and international law.

The British government has cited concerns about Afghanistan's treatment of detainees and denied that claim.

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