Intel ops to expand at Bagram prison

[unhappycamper]

Intel ops to expand at Bagram prison
By Peter Eisler - USA Today
Posted : Tuesday Sep 16, 2008 7:48:42 EDT

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon plans to expand intelligence operations at its main prison in Afghanistan, records and interviews with military officials show.

Interrogators and analysts are being sought for a bigger Bagram prison scheduled to open next year. They will be hired to question prisoners and provide intelligence that can be used on the battlefield, according to contract solicitations reviewed by USA Today. The Army also is seeking a “trained Mullah” to conduct Islamic services for detainees and advise U.S. officials on religious issues.

The developments are the latest indication of U.S. plans for a long-term presence in Afghanistan, where the fundamentalist Muslim Taliban militants have regained strength since U.S. forces ousted them in 2001.

Originally built as a Soviet air base in the 1980s, the Bagram prison was meant to be a short-term holding site. Bagram has been a flash point in the debate over U.S. treatment of detainees. The International Red Cross has negotiated with U.S. officials about conditions and access to detainees.

After peaking at nearly 700 prisoners in 2006, the population at Bagram has hovered for the past year at its 600-prisoner capacity, according to Central Command figures provided in response to a USA Today inquiry.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/09/gns_afghanistan_prison_091608/%2e