WAR: U.S Military Alters Prisoner rules after Allegation of Abuse in Afghanistan Surface

The U.S. Military is changing the length of time detainees are held in Afghanistan following reported allegations of prisoner abuse. This change is Afghan policy stems from the recent abuse that surfaced from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. More than two prisoner deaths are being investigated in Afghanistan after the men died from blunt force injuries at Bagram's jail in 2002. Human rights groups point out allegations of torture from former prisoners held at secretive American jails across Afghanistan.

U.S. Military Alters Prisoner Rules After Alleged Abuse at Bases in Afghanistan
The U.S. military views Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners as "unlawful combatants," and has held hundreds captured in the 2001 war for more than two years without formal charge or access to lawyers.

Lt. Gen. David Barno said the military had looked into "challenges and problems" at holding facilities in Afghanistan. He didn't say what the allegations were, or if any of them had proved true.

"One of the things we've done recently is to reduce the amount of time we're allowing local (American) commanders to have people in their temporary facilities before they come to Bagram," the main U.S. base north of Kabul, Barno said.

Barno was responding to a question about reported complaints by former detainees of abuse during the past year at bases including Gardez in eastern Afghanistan and Kandahar, in the south.