US military leaders are calling for a sweeping review of the Afghan detention system in an effort to prevent the Taliban from recruiting new members within prisons. The recommendations have been made in a report by a senior US marine, which has been circulated among top US policy makers.

The New York Times says Major General Douglas Stone, from the US Marines, was assigned to complete a review of detention issues in Afghanistan. His advice, which has not yet been made public, includes a recommendation to seperate extremist militants from detainees with more moderate views - in contrast to current detention policy.

His report came in response to a United Nations assesment in January, highlighting the ongoing problem of poor penal conditions in Afghanistan. The UN Assistance Mission in the country said: "Afghans are arbitrarily detained by police, prosecutors, judges and detention centre officials with alarming regularity."

New approach
The new approach suggested by Maj Gen Stone would see inmates encouraged to develop vocational skills and taught about moderate Islam in a bid to help them reintegrate into society. He also says there is a need for better training of Afghan prison guards.

John Dempsey from the United States Institute for Peace, who is based in Afghanistan, said although he hasn't seen the report he is encouraged by the suggestions made in it.

"The prison system has not been run properly so you have common criminals being lumped in with more high value targets in many cases, and when they're interacting inside the prison system and the prisons themselves aren't being run properly, that leads to opportunities by which the insurgents can try to recruit others - who otherwise wouldnt be part of the insurgency - to join their cause.

"I would be hopeful that the outcome of this would be a rethink of how detention works and to make sure that prisoners are treated in accordance with international law and that security concerns are balanced with that so that detention policy is sensitive."

The details of Maj Gen Stone's review come a week after the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen, sent a confidential memo to army chiefs urging them to remind soldiers of the need to ensure good treatment of detainees.

The US administration has been badly damaged by allegations of abuse at the Bagram air base, where prisoners were routinely deprived of sleep and subjected to other harsh interrogation methods. Although photo evidence of the abuse emerged earlier this year, President Barack Obama has decided not to make the images public.
 

Listen to an interview with John Dempsey, from the US Institute for Peace in Afghanistan