150 Foreigners Among 12,000 Inmates Held In Afghan Jails: Official

Kabul:  About 12,000 inmates including 150 foreign nationals have been held in Afghanistan prisons, spokesman for the Office of Prison Administration Mohammad Nasim Lalahand said.

“We have about 12,000 prisoners including some 150 foreign nationals in the prisons in line with the court decisions,” the National Radio and Television of Afghanistan (RTA) quoted Lalahand on Monday as saying.

However, the official did not identify the nationalities of the foreign inmates.

The official said women and children are also among the inmates, adding that all facilities, including learning and sports such as football and volleyball, have been provided for the prisoners.

Modern and religious subjects, as well as the arts of carpet weaving, tailoring and embroidery, are taught to the prisoners, the official told RTA, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier in June, deputy head of the Office of Prison Administration Abdullah Hamdard counted 20,000 inmates including 60 foreign nationals held in Afghanistan prisons.

(IANS)