Troops accused of passing captives to Afghan torturers

PRISONERS captured by Australian and Dutch troops in Afghanistan allege they have been beaten after being handed over to the notorious Afghan secret police.

While the Australian Defence Force says there is no evidence prisoners taken by Australian troops have been mistreated, official documents show three have complained they were beaten around the head by secret police after being captured by the Dutch-Australian taskforce.

The Dutch documents show prisoners are routinely handed over to Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS), which human rights groups accuse of torturing and abusing prisoners.

International law prohibiting torture outlaws returning a person to the custody of a nation where they risk torture or other ill-treatment.

The heavily censored foreign and defence ministry documents, released to a Dutch newspaper, do not specify the nationality of the troops who captured the men.

Nor is there any allegation of abuses by Australian troops, although there is one claim of mistreatment by Dutch soldiers.

But the documents mention prisoners taken by Australians in Oruzgan province, where they serve with the Dutch.

They include an email from a Dutch official on January 4, referring to a formal investigation of a complaint involving a detainee, and the need to "inform the Australians".

The email said the investigation involved "sensitive matters".