Amnesty warns of Afghan 'torture'

Human rights group Amnesty International has urged Nato-led forces in Afghanistan to stop transferring prisoners to the Afghan authorities as inmates could face torture. Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) could be exposing detainees to whippings, beatings, exposure to extreme cold and food deprivation, Amnesty said on Tuesday.

Its report singled out Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) as a major offender and said the agency "currently poses a serious threat to those in its custody".

Amnesty said Britain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway had signed "memorandums of understanding" and other accords on prisoner transfers with the Afghan authorities, and that Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden could do as well.

The agreements, it said, "do not fulfil the absolute and non-derogable legal obligation not to put anyone in a situation where they are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment".

Isaf, which comprises some 40,000 troops from 37 nations, is trying to stabilise the government of Hamad Karzai, which has been battling the Taliban for control of the country since US-led forces ousted the group from the power in 2001.