Tuesday, February 18, 2014

U.S. To Free Five Guantanamo Jihadis In Exchange For Bowe Bergdahl?

Rumors are flying that the United States has put an offer on the table for five terrorists to be freed from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for the return of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl who has been held captive by the Taliban since 2009.

I have one question.  Just how hard has the Obama led military actually worked to actually FIND Bergdahl in all of these years?  Believe me, no one wants to see this soldier returned to us more than me but this will open the door to a new goal of all jihadis everywhere to kidnap U.S. military personnel.  I find it hard to believe that the U.S. could find Osama bin Laden inside of Pakistan but we never had even a tip on where Bergdahl has been ...whether that is in Afghanistan or Pakistan.  One other thing - the intelligence that America has had over the past five years as to the daily movements of high target Taliban leaders and commanders that led to dozens and dozens of drone strikes simply couldn't come up with a lead on who was holding Bergdahl and where?

The article comes from DAWN.


US to seek soldier's freedom via Taliban prisoner swap: report


WASHINGTON: Washington will attempt to resume talks with the Taliban on exchanging a US soldier held captive by insurgents since 2009 for Guantanamo Bay prisoners, The Washington Post reported late Monday.

The move is an attempt to free Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl before the majority of US forces leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014, the report said, citing current and former officials.

The swap would trade Bergdahl for five Taliban members who would be released from Guantanamo Bay into protective custody in Qatar, the Post reported.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told AFP that she could not discuss details of US efforts but that “there should be no doubt that we work every day, using our military, intelligence and diplomatic tools, to try to see Sergeant Bergdahl returned home safely.”

According to the Post, the offer has not been formally made, adding that Bergdahl is thought to be held in Pakistan by the Haqqani network.

The US Army sergeant is the only American soldier held captive by Taliban militants.

In January the United States obtained a “proof of life” video of Bergdahl, the first providing evidence he was still alive in more than three years.

Bergdahl disappeared in June 2009 from a base in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province, with the Taliban later saying they had captured him.

US officials had previously considered a possible swap in which Bergdahl would be let go in exchange for the release of Taliban members held at Guantanamo Bay, but the deal was never clinched.

The US-led Nato military mission in Afghanistan is due to end this year.

But negotiations between Kabul and Washington could mean that about 10,000 US troops stay in Afghanistan after 2014 on training and counter-terrorism operations.

The deal to allow the residual US force, however, has been the subject of months of bitter public wrangling between President Hamid Karzai and US officials.

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