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By Kevin Sieff, Monday, May 7, 10:06 AM (The Washington Post)

KABUL — The United States has for several years been secretly releasing high-level detainees from a military prison in Afghanistan
as part of negotiations with insurgent groups, a bold effort to quell violence but one that U.S. officials acknowledge poses substantial risks.
As the United States has unsuccessfully pursued a peace deal with the Taliban, the “strategic release” program has quietly served as a live
diplomatic channel, allowing American officials to use prisoners as bargaining chips in restive provinces where military power has reached its
limits.

But the releases are an inherent gamble: The freed detainees are often notorious fighters who would not be released under the traditional
legal system for military prisoners in Afghanistan. They must promise to give up violence — and U.S. officials warn them that if they are
caught attacking American troops, they will be detained once again. “Everyone agrees they are guilty of what they have done and should remain
in detention. Everyone agrees that these are bad guys. But the benefits outweigh the risks,” said one U.S. official who, like others, discussed
the issue on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the program.


Former Commander of the International Security Assistance Force Gen. David Petraeus, center,
who is now director of the CIA, tours the grounds of the U.S.-run Parwan detention facility near
Bagram north of Kabul, Afghanistan