( CNN ) -- The United States calls them `` dangerous insurgents . '' But Afghan authorities say they do n't have enough evidence to keep the 65 prisoners behind bars . Abdul Shukor Dadras , head of the Afghan Review Board , said Afghanistan 's attorney general ordered the prisoners ' release from Bagram prison after a careful review of 88 cases . The U.S. military in Afghanistan condemned the move , expected to begin Thursday , arguing that the prisoners pose threats to security forces and civilians . `` Detainees from this group of 65 are directly linked to attacks killing or wounding 32 U.S. or coalition personnel and 23 Afghan security personnel or civilians , '' the military said in a statement . Releasing them , the military said , violates agreements between the United States and Afghanistan and is `` a major step backward for the rule of law in Afghanistan . '' `` We have made clear our judgment that these individuals should be prosecuted under Afghan law . We requested that the cases be carefully reviewed , '' the U.S. military 's statement said . `` But the evidence against them was never seriously considered , including by the attorney general , given the short time since the decision was made to transfer these cases to the Afghan legal system . '' Abdul Basir Azizi , a spokesman for Afghanistan 's attorney general , said the detainees ' release was ordered after a review revealed that there was n't enough evidence against them . The U.S. military 's statement detailed evidence against several of the suspects , noting that the group included an alleged Taliban explosives expert , a suspected Haqqani network commander and a specialist accused of building and placing improvised explosive devices . It 's not the first time Afghanistan 's decision to release prisoners has upset the United States . The early and pretrial release of prisoners by the Afghan government , at times at President Hamid Karzai 's hand , frustrated U.S. officials , diplomatic documents released in 2010 by WikiLeaks revealed . CNN 's Qadir Sediqi , Barbara Starr and Sara Mazloumsaki contributed to this report .
Afghanistan refused to release 65 people from Bagram prison . The Afghan military calls them ` ` dangerous '' and condemns the prisoners . An Afghan official says there is n't enough evidence to convict them . The United Nations calls it ` ` a major ' backward ''