The Afghan government and U.S. forces signed an agreement in Kabul Friday afternoon on the handover of a main U.S. detention center to the control of the Afghan government, said a press release.

"General John R. Allen, commander of both United States Forces Afghanistan and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and Afghan Minster of Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) today that sets in motion the transfer of the Detention Facility in Parwan (DFIP)," the NATO- led ISAF said in a press release.

The Bagram prison, which is called DFIP in the ISAF press release, was supposed to be handed over to the Afghan government in January this year but postponed for some reasons.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai during a judicial meeting with senior Afghan officials recently set March 9 as a deadline for handing over the control of the prison to the Afghan defense ministry.

However, the ISAF press release said that "this first step is a process that will give the Afghan Ministry of Defense full control of the DFIP within six months while protecting U.S. international and domestic legal obligations regarding detainees. Under the terms of the MOU, the U.S. would provide ongoing support and advice to the Afghan commander for up to a year,"

The MOU would transfer management of the DFIP as soon as the Afghans appoint a commander of detention operations, the release said.

"The signing of this memorandum is an important step forward in our Strategic Partnership negotiations and very much in keeping with both the Loya Jirga's recommendations and the desires of President Karzai," Gen. Allen added in the release.

"It is yet another example of the progress of transition, and our efforts to ensure that Afghanistan can never again be a safe haven for terrorists," the top U.S. and NATO commander added. "I want to thank President Karzai and Minister Wardak for their leadership and their counsel throughout this process."

"As part of the transition process, Afghanistan will implement a legal framework to ensure the humane and secure detention of persons who threaten the people of Afghanistan, in accordance with international humanitarian law," the ISAF release added.

"By signing this agreement, both the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States reaffirmed that they are to continue to cooperate in further developing Afghanistan's capacity to ensure secure and humane administrative detention operations," it further said.

The hand-over of the prison comes days after Karzai said that talks between the Afghan government and the U.S. over inking a strategic partnership have been continuing.

The Afghan government has categorically stated that Kabul would not sign the agreement unless U.S. forces halt night raid operations and hand over the control of the Bagram detention center to the Afghan side.

Hundreds of suspected Taliban and al-Qaida operatives, who have been detained by Afghan forces and NATO-led troops within the past 10 years, have been held in Bagram detention center which is located in the main U.S. and NATO airbase -- Bagram Airbase -- some 50 km north of capital city of Kabul.