Prison has few Taliban die-hards General says

The U.S. military says the vast majority of the 700 detainees at the prison at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan “could eventually be released because they’re fighting more for money than ideology.” Brig. Gen. Mark Martins said that 10 to 20 percent of the inmates at Bagram are considered hard-core or “irreconcilable” Taliban fighters.

General says U.S. may free the ‘accidental guerrillas’

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — The U.S. military says the vast majority of the 700 detainees at its biggest prison in Afghanistan could eventually be released because they’re fighting more for money than ideology.

That means it may prove easier than previously thought to make peace with some Taliban insurgents through job projects and other economic development efforts, experts said.

Brig. Gen. Mark Martins told USA TODAY that 10% to 20% of the inmates at the U.S.-run prison in Bagram are considered hard-core, or “irreconcilable,” Taliban fighters. The rest of them are candidates for eventual rehabilitation and release, he said.

“There are some of those caught up in this armed conflict who are … accidental guerrillas,” said Martins, who is overseeing a review of U.S. detainee policy here.

The U.S. military shifted its focus this year to trying to win the loyalty of the Afghan people, even those who formerly took up arms against the Afghan government.

President Obama is deliberating an increase of up to 40,000 troops to implement the strategy and turn back a resurgent Taliban.

Full Story USATODAY.com.