US signs deal to hand Bagram prison to Afghans

KABUL: The United States on Friday signed a deal transferring control of the Bagram prison to the Afghan government, marking a breakthrough in negotiations over a strategic treaty between the two nations.

The accord, which will see authority over the prison transferred gradually over six months, was signed by Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and the US commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, at a ceremony witnessed by AFP.