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More than 500 suspected Taliban fighters detained by U.S. forces have been released from custody at the urging of Afghan government officials, angering both American troops and some Afghans who oppose the policy on the grounds that many of those released return to the battlefield to kill NATO soldiers and Afghan civilians.
And those numbers understate the problem, military officials say. They do not include suspected Taliban fighters held in small combat outposts or other forward operating bases throughout the region who are released before they ever become part of the official detainee population.
An Afghan official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that President Hamid Karzai's government has personally sought the release of as many as 700 suspected Taliban fighters since July, including some mid-level leaders. "Corruption is not just based on the amount of money that is wasted but wasted lives when Taliban return only to kill more NATO forces and civilians," said the official, who opposes what he considers corruption in the Karzai administration.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: Catch-and-release of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan angers troops | Washington Examiner
I read stories like this and it makes me wonder why anyone in their right mind would want to join the military these days. This goes beyond absurd. We are propping up this corrupt government in Afghanistan only to have them put our own soldiers in danger. Where has all of the common sense gone?