globeandmail.com : Troops told Geneva rules don't apply to Taliban

globeandmail.com : Troops told Geneva rules don't apply to Taliban: "Globe and Mail Update

WASHINGTON — Canadian troops in Afghanistan have been told the Geneva Conventions and Canadian regulations regarding the rights of prisoners of war don't apply to Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters captured on the battlefield.

That decision strips detainees of key rights and protections under the rules of war, including the right to be released at the end of the conflict and not to be held criminally liable for lawful combat. "