Afghanistan’s release of 65 Taliban prisoners has come under heavy criticism from the United States, and that criticism may have only accelerated intensified Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s resistance, CBS reports. Karzai has said his decision is "of no concern" to the United States, and his open defiance of President Obama’s demands is the latest strain on a nearly non-existent relationship.
The U.S. government has wanted to prosecute the prisoners on charges of terrorism against U.S. and NATO forces, and warns that the prisoners will soon return to the battlefield if they have not already. The Afghanistan government has rejected all U.S. overtures, claiming their sovereignty was violated.