The United States is preparing to transport a military prisoner in Afghanistan for prosecution in Virginia, officials announced on Thursday.

The move is expected to cause uproar among Republicans who dispute that criminal prosecution of terrorist suspects weakens the country's stance on the war against terror.

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The detainee, known only by the war name Irek Hamidullan, is a Russian war veteran who allied with the Talibans following the Soviet war in Afghanistan. He was arrested in 2009 for his involvement in the attack against Afghan and U.S. troops in the province of Khost, according to U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The prisoner is currently detained at the U.S.P-administered Parwan facility in Afghanistan near the Bagram airbase and is expected to be transferred to Virginia for trial, said National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan in a statement Thursday.

Meehan did not reveal the prisoner's identity but explained that the transfer is a part of a U.S. undertaking to turn over all Afghanistan prisoners to the Afghan regime by 2015. As of September, there were 13 non-Afghan prisoners at Parwan, the Associated Press relayed.

After serious deliberation, it was unanimously agreed that prosecution of the detainee in U.S. federal court is the best option, Meehan added.

Congress was informed of the decision on Friday but few details were provided, several congressional aides claimed.

Pundits predict the move will spark criticism from the GOP. Aside from the contention that military detainees should be tried only in military courts, many Republicans believe that criminal prosecution of suspected terrorists makes a mockery of the country's position with regard to terrorism.

Granting full legal rights to these people is "a slap in the face" to Americans worldwide who fighting to keep us safe, said Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Since the 9/11 tragedy, the U.S. government has made it a point to make use of the federal legal system to prosecute and incarcerate suspected terrorists - regardless of the location of the terrorism-related offense, Meehan said.

TagsRussian prisoner, Afghanistan, U.S., trial, Republicans, Irek Hamidullan