Tensions between the U.S. and Afghan governments are again on the rise amidst disputes over the transfer of authority and alleged abuses linked to U.S. forces. On Sunday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the United States and the Taliban have resumed peace talks in Qatar after they broke down last year. Karzai suggested both sides have tacitly colluded to destabilize Afghanistan to justify perpetual conflict and their long-term presence. Karzai’s comments coincided with a visit to Afghanistan by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Hagel denied Karzai’s claims of U.S.-Taliban negotiations.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel: “I told the president it was not true that the United States was unilaterally working with the Taliban in trying to negotiate anything. The fact is, any prospect for peace or political settlements, that has to be led by the Afghans.”

Tensions further escalated over the weekend after the United States canceled plans to transfer full control of the Bagram prison to Afghan forces. The cancellation came days after Karzai criticized the United States for stalling the transfer and vowed to release many prisoners upon assuming control. The United States had previously halted a prison transfer last fall after Karzai vowed to hold trials for prisoners, rejecting U.S. demands for indefinite detention. In his rebuke of the United States on Sunday, Karzai also cited the case of an Afghan college student who claimed he was badly beaten by CIA-backed Afghan forces. The student, Abdul Qayum, says he was taken to a U.S.-run prison and repeatedly punched and whipped with a cable.