PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Nov. 4, 2010) — After confirming their commitment to a peaceful way of life, two former detainees were released from the Detention Facility in Parwan (DFIP) Nov. 4 and welcomed back into the community by their families and tribal elders during a detainee release shura.
The Afghan-led program for releasing detainees, implemented in January 2010, stresses the importance of reintegration into Afghan society. Since the program began, more than 200 detainees have been released.
The shura was presided over by Afghan National Army Maj. Gen. Marjan Shuja, Afghan National Army deputy commander Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435.
“May God help you in your return to your families and your villages, and I hope that you can continue your peaceful ways in the future,” said Deputy Minister of Defense Enayatullah Nazari, who spoke during the shura. “This is a great day for these men, they are returning home to their families, and I know that these men will have a better life in the future.”
Detainees held at the Detention Facility in Parwan are offered the opportunity to receive literacy and vocational training. The reintegration training programs offer courses including English, Pashto, tailoring, agriculture and bread making. Upon arriving at the DFIP, detainees attend a vocational interview to assess literacy level and determine what reintegration classes may be of value to the detainee.
CJIATF-435, in partnership with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and U.S. interagency and international partners, conducts operations in detention, corrections, the judicial sector and biometrics. Conditions permitting, CJIATF-435 will transition detention operations to Afghan control while promoting Rule of Law practices.
The 46th Military Police Command, Task Force Peacekeeper, a subordinate CJIATF-435 command, oversees all detention operations at the DFIP. The task force ensures the safe and humane custody, control and care of detained persons in the detention facility. Their efforts will enable Afghan National Army Soldiers to assume responsibility from their American counterparts and run the detention facility.
The 96th Military Police Battalion, Task Force Spartan, trains the Afghan soldiers in detention operations and provides linguists to overcome language barriers.
The DFIP, a state-of-the-art theater internment facility, located several kilometers from Bagram Airfield, was completed in September 2009 and occupied by detainees in late December 2009. The DFIP is equipped with a medical facility, on-site family visitation center, vocational facilities and educational classrooms. The design of the DFIP accommodates detainee reintegration efforts and enables CJIATF-435 to better align detainee operations with the overall strategy to defeat the extremist insurgency in Afghanistan.