Lindsey Graham: Cut Off Afghan Aid If Karzai Frees Prisoners

In reaction to the release of Bagram Prisoners by President Karzai, U.S. senator, Lindsey Graham, has asked that the developmental aide to Afghanistan stop until after the elections. While speaking at the Armed Forces Committee, Mr. Graham, a long-term supporter of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, strongly condemned the release of Bagram prisoners and called it a major step back in Kabul-Washington relations. "88 detainees are the subject of this dispute; our forces have evaluated these forces as very dangerous, the afghan people and the coalition forces. We have only requested that they go through the Afghan legal system. President Karzai has basically side stepped his own rule of law, he has ordered the Attorney General to take over these files and immediate release of 65 detainees without ever going through the Afghan legal system, which has about 70% conviction rate. I will be introducing a resolution condemning this action of President Karzai, I will be urging my colleagues, to cut all developmental aide off the Afghanistan as a response until after the next election" said Graham. "President Karzai in my view is single handedly destroying this relationship that is erratic behavior that his outrageous statement as Mr. Chairman mentioned, are doing great damage. And I want the people of Afghanistan to know that we are in for a supportive relationship, political, militarily and economically but actions like this make it really hard for an American Politician to do business as usual in Afghanistan" Graham added. This is while tensions over signing the Bilateral Security Agreement continue between Kabul and Washington, with President Karzai emphasizing on his preconditions. James R. Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence who also spoke at the Armed Forces Committee said that he does not think President Karzai will sign the agreement. "It's my own view, not necessarily company policies; I don't believe President Karzai is going to sign it," said Clapper. The delay in signing the Kabul-washington Bilateral Security Agreement as well as the release of Bagram prisoners without any court order have worsened Kabul-Washington relations. This is while the Afghan Attorney General's office is planning on the immediate release of 65 of the 88 prisoners. Attorney General's Office has said that these prisoners will be released after their files are reviewed.