Canada says insurgents allege torture by Afghans

OTTAWA, June 7 (Reuters) Four men who were captured in Afghanistan by Canadian soldiers have alleged they were tortured or abused after they were handed over to Afghan authorities, Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay said on Wednesday.

''They are serious allegations, and they were received directly by Canadian officials (in Afghanistan),'' MacKay told reporters.

Ottawa and Kabul agreed, after weeks of intense debate in the Canadian Parliament, to new procedures under which Canadian officials would keep track of prisoners they have turned over to the Afghans.

MacKay said Canada's ambassador to Kabul asked the Afghan authorities yesterday morning to investigate the charges and to report back. He said this was proof that the new system was working.

The minister emphasized there were no allegations of any abuse by the Canadians themselves. He also told a parliamentary committee that while Canada took these allegations seriously, insurgents in Afghanistan have been trained to complain of torture once they are detained.

REUTERS JK BST0452