The U.S. government will spend an estimated $60 million to build a new 40-acre prison at the U.S. military base at Bagram, Afghanistan—an indication of the long-term intentions of the U.S. ruling class to occupy the country.
 |
Located in an old hangar on the base, the current prison holds 630 people. Men, 10 of whom are under the age of 18, are crowded into mesh cages with little room for exercise, and inadequate kitchen, shower and bathroom space.
The U.S. military’s treatment of these men has been brutal and inhumane—including sleep deprivation and torture. In 2002, two men died after being beaten by U.S. soldiers.
Much attention has been focused on the treatment of the 270 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Those at Bagram, however, are allowed even fewer privileges and are less able to contest their detention with no access to lawyers.
There are currently 29,000 U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan. Of those, 16,000 are part of a NATO-led force of 43,000. The remaining 13,000 are engaged in direct operations and training of Afghan forces.
The U.S. government had been moving toward phasing out its direct occupation in Afghanistan, transferring direct military control to Afghan forces while maintaining political and economic control of the country. This effort has been entirely unsuccessful despite the show elections of friendly forces and the buildup of the Afghan military and police.
Admiral Michael Mullen, head of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, admitted to Congress in February that the U.S.-led occupation was facing intense resistance from what he called a “classic growing insurgency.” Two other reports in the same month—one from the U.S. Atlantic Council and the other from the Afghanistan study group—indicated the occupation has failed in suppressing the justified resistance of the Afghani people.
In response to such opposition, the U.S. military has been building new prisons and expanding Afghan prisons.
In 2006, U.S.-hired Afghan contractors broke ground on a new detention center at Pul-i-Charkhi that would hold up to 670 prisoners. Because of higher than expected costs and inefficient planning, the prison is only able to hold half that many. Initially, 12 prisoners were transferred there from Bagram. In January of 2008, there were 157 prisoners and the numbers are rising.
The U.S. military had been working on a plan to expand an existing Afghan prison and transfer prisoners there. But three years later and after spending millions of dollars, the U.S. military was unable to follow through on that plan. Instead, they are building the new prison at Bagram.
Clearly, the United States ruling class has underestimated the resistance of the Afghani people and their desire to be free of foreign domination. Despite superior military power and resources, the imperialist forces—dominated by the United States—have been unable to subdue the local population.
Prisons are part and parcel of the repressive apparatus used to undermine resistance. They exist not only to incarcerate active fighters but also to instill fear in the Afghani people. These new permanent prisons are concrete evidence that the U.S. imperialists plan to continue their brutal occupation.
