Afghan Prisons Overcrowded, Poorly Funded
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We see the pictures of the Taliban and al Qaeda detainees at Camp X-ray in Cuba, but what about all those people captured in this war on terrorism who weren't part of the leadership or in either group? CNN's Nic Robertson tells us about one overcrowded Afghan prison.</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Emaciated and pale, prisoners crowd into a tiny cell in Sherbigan (ph) Jail. Captured four months ago by pro-Afghan government forces, these detainees claim to have been fighting for the Taliban, not al Qaeda. A handful of prisoners have been taken by U.S. officials for questioning. 3,155 remain. Most we talked to complain overcrowding is so bad there isn't enough room to sleep.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our room is very less (ph). We are 15 -- 50 or 60 men in one room.</s>ROBERTSON: Hayatallah (ph) continues, explaining they have no news of developments in Afghanistan in the last four months. (on camera): They don't get news.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): A prison guard nearby does not deny the claim. In a nearby cell, Meerwise (ph) demonstrates on the hamison (ph) the effects of their poor diet. Two meals a day, they say. Meerwise (ph) shows his lunch.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This one</s>ROBERTSON (on camera): This is for one man?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.</s>ROBERTSON (voice-over): Diarrhea, dysentery, headaches and constipation are their primary ailments, they say, and complain of insufficient drugs to combat sickness. (on camera): The prisoners here are only a small fraction of those captured in Afghanistan in the last six months. Apparently, unimportant enough to warrant detailed questioning by the United States. Their future, however, remains uncertain. (voice-over): While there is little sympathy for their plight, guards appear compassionate about the conditions.</s>GENERAL JORABAK, PRISON GOVERNOR (through translator): This jail is made for 1,200 people, so it's overcrowded. And we don't have enough money for more food.</s>ROBERTSON: Most guards here suspect their captives are unrepentant al Qaeda sympathizers. And they also fear such close containment unites them further. Nic Robertson, CNN, Sherbigan (ph) Jail, Afghanistan.