US angry as Afghanistan releases 65 \\\'insurgents\\\'

KABUL, Feb 14 (AFP): Scores of alleged Taliban fighters walked free from an Afghan jail Thursday, triggering condemnation from the United States, as President Hamid Karzai accused Washington of "harassing" his country's judicial authority.

The decision to release the prisoners further worsened the bitter relationship between Kabul and Washington as US-led foreign troops prepare to withdraw after 13 years of fighting militants.

US officials said those released from Bagram prison were responsible for killing NATO and Afghan soldiers as well as civilians. But Karzai defended the move.

"Afghanistan is a sovereign country. If the Afghan judicial authorities decide to release the prisoners, it is of no concern to the US and should be of no concern to the US," Karzai told a news conference in the Turkish capital Ankara.

"I hope that the United States will stop harassing Afghanistan's procedures and judicial authority."

Afghan officials said the 65 men were vetted before their release.

"Their cases were reviewed and we had no reason to keep them in jail," Abdul Shukor Dadras, a member of the Afghan government's review body, told.

The US Embassy in Kabul criticised the releases as "a deeply regrettable" move that could lead to further violence in Afghanistan, which has suffered a bloody Taliban insurgency since 2001.

"The Afghan government bears responsibility for the results of its decision," the embassy said in a statement. "We urge it to make every effort to ensure that those released do not commit new acts of violence and terror."