Scores of Taliban fighters have walked free from jail in Afghanistan, triggering condemnation from the US, which said they were responsible for killing NATO and Afghan soldiers as well as civilians.
The release of the prisoners further worsened the bitter relationship between Kabul and Washington as US-led foreign troops prepare to withdraw after 13 years fighting the Islamist militants.
"The 65 prisoners were freed and walked out of the Bagram prison compound this morning," said Abdul Shukor Dadras, a member of the Afghan government's review body.
"Their cases were reviewed and we had no reason to keep them in jail."
The US embassy criticised the releases as "a deeply regrettable" move that could lead to further violence in Afghanistan, which has suffered a bloody Taliban insurgency since 2001.
"The Afghan government bears responsibility for the results of its decision," the embassy said in a statement.
"We urge it to make every effort to ensure that those released do not commit new acts of violence and terror."
But President Hamid Karzai has called Bagram prison a "Taliban-producing factory" and alleged that some detainees were tortured into hating their country.
The US military described the men as "dangerous individuals" directly linked to attacks that killed or wounded 32 NATO personnel and 23 Afghans.
It gave names and details of three men to be freed, including Mohammad Wali, whom it described as a suspected Taliban explosives expert "biometrically linked" to two bombings.
Thursday's prison releases could threaten essential funding for Afghanistan as US politicians become increasingly frustrated at Kabul's antagonistic approach to its biggest aid donor.
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen also criticised the decision, calling it "a major step backwards for the rule of law in Afghanistan and poses serious security concerns".
