LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan – Twenty-one former detainees were released from the Detention Facility in Parwan, Afghanistan, and welcomed back into the community by their families and tribal elders during a release shura Oct. 26.
This was the single largest release of detainees to date.
Afghan National Army Brig. Gen. Safi Safiullah, brigade commander, Afghan National Army MP Brigade, led a contingent of Afghan partners from Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 who, along with the political, tribal and village leaders and elders from Helmand province, held a shura in Lashkar Gah.
During the shura, the former detainees confirmed their commitment to live a peaceful way of life and signed pledges to renounce violence.
Since the Afghan-led reintegration program began in 2010, more than 475 detainees have been released at community shuras in 13 provinces after a careful review board process determined their sustainability for reintegration.
CJIATF 435, headquartered at Camp Phoenix in Kabul, includes U.S. service members from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, as well as coalition partners and civilian members from the following agencies: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan.
CJIATF 435, in partnership with the government of Afghanistan and U.S. interagency and international partners, conducts operations in detention, corrections, judicial and biometrics in order to transition detainee operations to Afghan control and promote rule of law.