NEW YORK, Nov 27: The Human Rights Watch on Monday called on the United States and the Northern Alliance to guarantee humane treatment of surrendered or captured troops in the Afghan town of Kunduz.

In a statement issued here, the New York-based human rights watch dog asked the US and the Northern Alliance to institute fair screening procedures to determine who should face prosecution later for serious violations of international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The call came amid reports of large scale surrender or defection of Taliban troops from Kunduz, as the Northern Alliance entered the town on Sunday.

The HRW noted that among the Taliban fighters in Kunduz are two Afghan commanders Mullah Dadaullah and Mullah Fazil who are implicated in some of the worst human rights abuses in recent Afghan history.

“The need to set up a justice mechanism to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity is no longer a theoretical issue, it’s an urgent priority,” said Sidney Jones, Asia Director of Human Rights Watch.

She noted that the most immediate need is to ensure that prisoners are treated humanely, but that it is also critical to establish procedures for separating people suspected of grave crimes from those who simply volunteered or were recruited to fight for the Taliban.

The fighters in Kunduz reportedly include many young men who volunteered after Sept 11.