The expected backlash begins.....
There Is Already A Big Backlash Against The Deal To Free An American Prisoner Of War
screenshot/REUTERS
In an email to his parents, Bergdahl wrote:"I am sorry for everything. The horror that is America is disgusting."
The backlash has been swift, especially from 28-year-old's fellow soldiers.
On June 30th, 2009, Bergdahl reportedly walked off a U.S. outpost in eastern Afghanistan with nothing but water, a knife, a digital camera and his diary.
He was captured almost immediately, spurring a search that cost U.S. soldiers their lives: At one point, his battalion suffered six fatalities in three-weeks.
There were previous indications that Bergdahl might desert: The home-schooled Idaho native had told a fellow soldier: "If this deployment is lame, I'm just going to walk off into the mountains of Pakistan," according to report by Michael Hastings of Rolling Stone.
Once he arrived at the Paktika outpost, Bergdahl reportedly "spent more time with the Afghans than he did with his platoon." And in emails he sent to his parents, Bergdahl seemed completely disillusioned with the war effort.
At the time, one Obama administration official told Hastings: "We don't give a shit why he left. He's an American soldier. We want to bring him home."
Two Republican lawmakers have accused the president of breaking the law by approving the swap of Gitmo detainees before notifying Congress. The administration agreed that they bypassed legal requirements, citing "unique and exigent circumstances" as justification.
Now that Bergdahl's home, many of his fellow soldiers are venting their anger.
"He walked off," Baggett, a member of Bergdahl's company, told Jake Tapper of CNN. "Nobody knows if he defected or he's a traitor or he was kidnapped. What I do know is he was there to protect us and instead he decided to defer from America and go and do his own thing. I don't know why he decided to do that, but we spend so much of our resources and some of those resources were soldiers' lives."
Former Sgt. Matt Vierkant, a member of Bergdahl's platoon when he went missing, put it bluntly: "I don't understand why we're trading prisoners at Gitmo for somebody who deserted during a time of war, which is an act of treason," Vierkant told CNN.
Another soldier who was on the ground during the search wrote a scathing blog post about the deal:
"The latest news of 5 GITMO detainee transfers for this kid’s life left me nauseated. From everything I was receiving, Haqqani never expected to get any of the prisoners, let alone 5 of some of the most highly valued targets we had in holding. The US negotiators had fallen for the bluff … the threat of killing the kid. ...
The deal that has been made is a slap in the face to every American soldier alive and dead that has served this country with honor. Bowe Bergdahl is a traitor. He willingly left his post and his fellow soldiers to go on a spiritual stroll in Afghanistan, convert to Islam and ultimately join up with the Taliban … and in so doing cost us the lives of great soldiers who were tasked with finding him."
The counterargument, as laid out by Dan Murphy of the Christian Science Monitor, is that prisoner swaps are part of ending wars and America's only POW is now home.
Odd story gets odder .....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10868673/Bowe-Bergdahl-a-darker-story-behind-the-release-of-Americas-last-prisoner-of-war.html
( The Telegraph breaks news Bowe just might have deserted , So , why did the US rescue him ? This and other questions are going to come fast ......)
7:00PM BST 01 Jun 2014
The little mountain town of Hailey in the rural state of Idaho is readying a hero's welcome.
Its single shopping street is lined with bright yellow balloons and signs to greet Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl when he finally returns home after five long years as America's only prisoner of war in Afghanistan.
"Bowe is free at last!" reads one banner. "Our prayers have been answered!"
At Zaney's coffee house, where the 28-year-old worked before joining the military, well-wishers embrace and admire the large poster board covered in a half decade's worth of handwritten messages of support.
"To those of us in Hailey, Bowe is certainly a hero," said Sue Martin, the owner of Zaney's and Sgt Bergdahl's former boss.
But behind the scenes of small town celebration is a darker and more complicated story about a young soldier who allegedly abandoned his post after growing disillusioned with America's wars and the potentially illegal deal struck by the White House to free him.
Bowe Bergdahl was raised in a cabin with no phone in Idaho's Wood River Valley, a sparse and rugged corner of the American west. He and his sister were home schooled by their father, Bob Bergdahl, an intense woodsman who trained them to shoot and survive in the wild.
For the last five years, Mr Bergdahl has been a tireless campaigner for his son's release, at times lashing out in frustration at President Barack Obama and even trying to contact the Taliban directly on his own.
Sgt Bergdahl is reportedly struggling to speak English after five years in captivity and his father caught Mr Obama's aides offguard on Saturday when he began to speak Pashto before the television cameras at the White House.
"I'm your father, Bowe," he said in the language of his son's captors.
Sgt Bergdahl took an unusual route into the US military, studying ballet and joining a sailing expedition from the Atlantic to the Pacific before attempting to enlist in the French Foreign Legion. Only after being rejected by France did he join the US Army.
He deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 full of idealistic conviction that he and his comrades could push back the Taliban and improve life in the long-subjugated country.
But hopefulness soon gave way to despair after his unit began to take casualties and he saw how US troops treated the Afghans they were supposed to be saving.
"These people need help, yet what they get is the most conceited country in the world telling them that they are nothing and that they are stupid," he wrote in an email to his parents on June 27, 2009.
Three days later, according to Rolling Stone, the 23-year-old soldier simply walked off his base in Patika province, carrying a knife, his diary and a small camera.
He was captured almost immediately and - despite a frantic search by US troops, drones and helicopters - smuggled into Pakistan by Taliban fighters.
A Pakistani militant commander told AFP that Sgt Bergdahl engaged with his with captors, teaching them how to play badminton and inviting them to celebrate Easter and Christmas with them.
He also reportedly grew fond of kawa, an Afghan green tea, helped with the cooking and became fluent in the Afghan languages of Pashto and Dari.
For five long years, his parents endured taunting videos released by his captors. In one he appears gaunt and with a shaved head, pleading with the US to agree to a deal for his release.
The Taliban's demands were high: they would exchange one low-ranking US soldier for five senior Afghan fighters being held at Guantánamo Bay.
This week, Mr Obama agreed. The Guantánamo detainees were released into the custody of Qatar while Sgt Bergdahl was handed over to American special forces near the Pakistani border.
The young soldier, who was healthy enough to walk to the helicopter that carried him to safety, is now being treated at a hospital in Germany.
Chuck Hagel, the US secretary of defence, said the first priority is to restore his health before American intelligence officers begin to debrief him in the hope of extracting valuable information on the Taliban.
He declined to comment on the possibility that Sgt Bergdahl could face a court martial for desertion when he finally returns to the United States.
"This is a guy who probably went through hell the last five years," Mr Hagel said. "Let’s focus on getting him well and getting him back with his family.”
Mr and Mrs Bergdahl held an emotional press conference in Idaho, warning that their son faces a long to reintegration into American life.
"Bowe has been gone so long that it's going to be very difficult to come back," Mr Bergdahl said, comparing him to a diver who needed to resurface slowly after a long time underwater. "If he comes up too fast it could kill him."
Both parents wept at different points as they said they had yet to speak directly to the young soldier. Instead they addressed him through the assembled television cameras. "You have your life ahead of you," said Mrs Bergdahl through tears. "Freedom is yours, we will see you soon, my beloved son."
They also hinted at the vast machinery of America's clandestine services that helped secure his son's release, thanking the "parts of your government that you never knew were there".
Republicans, meanwhile, have erupted in anger over the White House's decision to release the Guantánamo detainees in secret and without informing Congress.
US law states that the President must give members of Congress 30 days notice before transferring detainees out of the controversial prison base.
Senator John McCain, himself a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, also raised concerns over whether the tiny state of Qatar could prevent the former prisoners from again threatening the US.
"These are the hardest of the hardcore, these are the highest of the high risk people," Mr McCain said. "It's disturbing that these individuals would have the ability to re-enter the fight."
The White House countered that Sgt Bergdahl's health was failing and it had no choice but to act quickly and in secret in order to save his life.
"We found an opportunity, we took that opportunity," said Mr Hagel. "I'll stand by that decision."
Back in Sgt Bergdahl's hometown of Hailey the political battles in Washington and the actual battles in Afghanistan seem far away and the only news that matters is that their missing son is coming home.
Mrs Martin was out fishing, watching her granddaughter catch her first trout, when the US Army called to say Bowe had been freed. She raced back to town to find people in the streets and fire engine sirens blaring in celebration.
"Some people were popping champagne corks and and some were deeply reverent," she said. "But everyone was joyful in their own way."
Check the " odd " tweet's from Bowe's father ????
‘Working to free all Guantanamo prisoners’ tweet from account of released soldier’s father deleted
And what do these tweets mean ???
http://twitchy.com/2014/06/01/odd-bob-bergdahl-hailey-idaho-is-so-much-like-afghanistan/
Strange , he does appear to be a collaborator , doesn't he ?
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-01/does-us-negotiate-terrorists
Does The US Negotiate With Terrorists?
- Afghanistan
- John McCain
- Meet The Press
- Middle East
- national security
- NBC
- Newspaper
- None
- Obama Administration
- White House
"We don't negotiate with terrorists"
- Every US president in history
It was a good weekend for the friends and family of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl: after five years of being held captive by the Taliban in Afghanistan, on Saturday morning it was reported that the 28-year-old native of Hailey, Idaho was finally freed. In exchange for his freedom, the US agreed to also set free five Taliban militants - among which the Afghanistan deputy defense minister under Taliban rule and others who was said to be involved in the September 11 attack - held at Guantanamo. In other words, this was a pre-negotiated settlement or, stated otherwise, a negotiation.
Adding fuel to the fire is the realization that Obama was transacting largely alone: instead of abiding by a legal requirement to give Congress advance notice when prisoners are released from the detainee facility at Guantanamo Bay, Obama once again took unilateral action. Actually it wasn't completely unilateral: it was revealed that the deal was bartered by America's new middle east BFFs (courtesy of the false flagged Syria conflict): officials from Qatar who agreed to keep the detainees in their country for a year.
And then the media circus took over.
On one hand, it was Republicans bashing Obama for keeping the prisoner swap secret and also for negotiating with terrorists. From the WSJ:
Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), himself a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, voiced fears that the five prisoners sent to Qatar in exchange for Sgt. Bergdahl could rejoin terrorist networks. "It is disturbing that these individuals would have the ability to reenter the fight," Mr. McCain said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "And they are big, high-level people, possibly responsible for the deaths of thousands."Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), a potential presidential candidate in 2016, released a statement Sunday saying, "The release of five senior Taliban commanders to Qatar under unspecified conditions is very troubling and may endanger American lives. In the coming days the Congress must examine the circumstances under which Sgt. Bergdahl's release was achieved, and what conditions, if any, the administration secured to ensure these enemy combatants do not return to the battlefield."Fellow Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, also a possible GOP presidential candidate, suggested in an appearance on ABC's "This Week" that there were better ways to free Sgt. Bergdahl."How many soldiers lost their lives to capture those five Taliban terrorists that we just released?" Mr. Cruz said. "What does this tell terrorists, that if you capture a U.S. soldier, you can trade that soldier for five terrorists we've gone after."* * *Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said administration officials indeed told Congress about a year ago that such prisoner negotiations were a possibility. "They didn't get a very warm reception from either party in the national security committees," Mr. Rogers said.Mr. Rogers added that the administration was required "to keep Congress currently informed."... "Some notion that this was so secret and so sensitive that that couldn't happen is just wrong."
On the other hand, democrats scrambled to defend Obama's actions.
First and foremost, it was Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who on NBC's "Meet the Press" in a live feed from Afghanistan where he had made a surprise visit, said prisoner exchanges are a standard practice of warfare and added that "We didn’t negotiate with terrorists." He added that "America’s record is pretty clear on going after terrorists, especially those who take hostages, and I don’t think what we did in getting our prisoner of war released in any way would somehow encourage terrorists to take our American servicemen prisoner or hostage.”
The excuse: the swap had been worked out by the government of Qatar (to whose Amir, none other than the president gave his thanks yesterday).
Another person defending Obama was White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice who appeared earlier on CNN and said the Obama administration informed Congress after Sgt. Bergdahl was in U.S. hands. She said the urgency of the mission, coupled with concerns about Sgt. Bergdahl's health, made it necessary to rescue him without giving the required 30 days advance notice.
Wait, he was in captivity for 5 years, but suddenly 30 days was a matter of urgency?
Ms. Rice said that defense officials, however, consulted with the Justice Department before the operation. "It was determined that it was necessary and appropriate not to adhere to the 30-day notification requirement because it would have potentially meant that the opportunity to get Sgt. Bergdahl would have been lost," she said.
One wonders what other decisions are made in the secrecy of bilateral talks between Obama and the DOJ, which skip America's elected legislative body entirely.
And then the excuses branch out in theoutright surreal: "The Taliban prisoners released weren’t mere bargaining chips: It’s quite possible that, as influential figures, they’ll facilitate a broader negotiated settlement,” in Afghanistan, said Blank, a former staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Hagel said today it’s possible the agreement could lead to a new round of negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban about the organization’s rule in Afghanistan. “We have strongly supported an Afghan-led effort to come to an agreement with the Taliban,” Hagel said on NBC. “Maybe this will be an opening that can produce an agreement.”
Indeed: now that America is said to be departing Afghanistan (we will believe it when we see it), someone who is friendly to the US should maintain the record opium production: after all the poppy seed, and heroin, must flow and keep western populations drugged up and happy.
Recall the following charts: first, the surge in Heroin use in the US:
And then the following chart which shows opium cultivation in Afghanistan:
Surely there is no relation between soaring US heroin use, soaring Afghanistan opium production (under US supervision) and recent developments in Afghanistan.
But even more perplexing than the simple question of whether Obama negotiates with terrorists - he clearly does - is another question: are we now rerunning an episode of Homeland.
Recall the back in August 2010 when the news of Bergdahl's capture were first making the rounds, that the Sunday Times reported "a captured American soldier is training Taliban fighters bomb-making and ambush skills, according to one of his captors and Afghan intelligence officials. Private Bowe Bergdahl disappeared in June 2009 while based in eastern Afghanistan and is thought to be the only U.S. serviceman in captivity. The 24-year-old has converted to Islam and now has the Muslim name Abdullah, one of his captors told The Sunday Times."
The rabbit hole gets deeper:
A Taliban deputy district commander in Paktika, who called himself Haji Nadeem, told the newspaper that Bergdahl taught him how to dismantle a mobile phone and turn it into a remote control for a roadside bomb.Nadeem claimed he also received basic ambush training from the U.S. soldier. 'Most of the skills he taught us we already knew,' he said. 'Some of my comrades think he's pretending to be a Muslim to save himself so they wouldn't behead him.'Afghan intelligence officials also believe that Bergdahl is 'cooperating with the Taliban' and is acting as adviser to fighters at a base in the tribal area of Pakistan.
And then there was Bergdahl's video:
The seven-minute video of Bergdahl shows him sporting a beard and doing a few press-ups to demonstrate he's in good physical condition.There was no way to verify when the footage was taken or if he is still alive.In the sometimes choppy video, Bergdahl talked about his love for his family, his friends, motorcycles and sailing.'I'm a prisoner. I want to go home,' he said. 'This war isn't worth the waste of human life that has cost both Afghanistan and the U.S. It's not worth the amount of lives that have been wasted in prisons, Guantanamo Bay, Bagram, all those places where we are keeping prisoners.'At times speaking haltingly, as if holding back emotions, Bergdahl - clad in what appeared to be an Army shirt and fatigues - clasped his hands together and pleaded: 'The pain in my heart to see my family again doesn't get any smaller.'Release me. Please, I'm begging you, bring me home.'
The good news is that four years later he is finally home. The questions remain.
And how was the private captured by the Taliban anyway ? That story has never been told by the US ..... here is an alleged point of view from an alleged soldier who was in Afghanistan at the time ! FWIW !
http://soopermexican.com/2014/06/01/american-soldier-who-served-with-bowe-bergdahl-casts-doubt-on-official-story-fears-reprisal-from-obama-administration/
Early Saturday it was announced by the administration that the only American prisoner of war in the Afghanistan was released in exchange for 5 Guantanamo Bay terrorists being set free to Qatar. The circumstances of the capture of Bowe Bergdahl had been in question long before his release – supposedly he had wandered off and captured by the Taliban. But a soldier on Twitter is claiming that the official story is untrue, and has posted his version of the events that led to Bowe’s capture.
Towards the end of his story, he says he fears reprisal from the Obama administration, and asks for legal help. It must be noted also that he has a avatar that bears a picture of Bowe with the word “traitor” posted over it.
Here are the tweets telling his version of the story so far:
Michelle Malkin also has taken issue with the " official story " ...
Flashback: A reminder about Bowe Bergdahl’s desertion problem
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While many people jumped aboard the Bowe Bergdahl bandwagon, I was not one of them. His release today in exchange for five Taliban commanders who had been in custody at Gitmo underscores troubling questions that have persisted since his alleged abduction.
Longtime readers will recall questions raised here about the circumstances of Bergdahl’s disappearance. Here’s a flashback from my July 20, 2009 blog post:
My prayers are with the family of Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier seen on the Taliban abduction video released this weekend. The Jawa Report has the full clip.All Americans should hope and pray for his release from jihadi custody.There’s one question I have, though, about strange details initially reported on the case — details which have been deleted from later wire dispatches. Read:The circumstances of Bergdahl’s capture weren’t clear.On July 2, two U.S. officials told the AP the soldier had “just walked off” his base with three Afghans after his shift. He had no body armor or weapon and they said they had no explanation for why he left. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.On July 6, the Taliban claimed on their Web site that five days earlier “a drunken American soldier had come out of his garrison” and was captured by mujahadeen.In the video, Pfc. Bergdahl said he was lagging behind a patrol when he was captured.Details of such incidents are routinely held very tightly by the military as it works to retrieve a missing or captured soldier without giving away any information to captors.The question is: Which account is accurate?The first account strongly suggests desertion, a la Wassef Ali Hassoun.
The second account might provide an explanation for why Pfc. Bergdahl had no armor or weapon on him when captured.The third account is totally at odds with the other two.Follow-up questions:Were the AP’s sources mistaken?Did the AP botch the reporting?Or is the disturbing first account the right one? Knowing, as the AP pointed out, that “[d]etails of such incidents are routinely held very tightly by the military,” wouldn’t the two U.S. officials have been extremely careful in passing on such sensitive details to the media on July 2?And what about the “three Afghans” that Pfc. Bergdahl reportedly “just walked off” with after his shift?Who are they?Did they have security clearances at the base?Did any or all of them work as translators?Are they still missing?Did one of them serve as the English-speaking questioner on the Taliban video?Is anyone else puzzled by the completely conflicting stories? Will the Associated Press explain them?What’s going on?***More strangeness via the Oregonian blog:Kim Harrison Dellacorva, who moved from Idaho last fall and lives in the Pearl District of Northwest Portland…is listed on military documents as Bergdahl’s godmother. She ran the extracurricular performing arts school in Ketchum that Bergdahl attended.A military casualty assistance officer knocked on Dellacorva’s door June 30, after Bergdahl was reporting missing from his company’s outpost in Afghanistan’s Paktika province. At the time, nobody knew where he was or what happened to him. The military declined to release his name to the public, although his disappearance was an open secret in Hailey, the Idaho town near Ketchum where Bergdahl’s parents live in a remote canyon.But over the weekend, his Taliban captors posted a 28-minute video that shows Bergdahl answering questions and eating.Kim, Shane and Shane’s sister, Kayla Harrison, were relieved to see that Bergdahl is alive. But they say that parts of the video they have seen don’t sound like the Bowe they know.“The only part that sounded like Bowe was when he said, ‘It’s very unnerving to be a prisoner,’” Kayla Harrison said.A lot of the other stuff, about relatives and having a girlfriend back home he hoped to marry, sounded completely unnatural, the Harrisons say. Bergdahl doesn’t have a serious girlfriend, they say.***This is an indisputable truth:“The Taliban are using the soldier for propaganda purposes,” said Navy Lt. Robert Carr, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.Partial transcript of Bergdahl video:“Please, please bring us home so that we can be back where we belong and not over here wasting our time and our lives and our precious life that we could be using back in our own country.”“Please bring us home. It is America and the American people that have that power.”***Update: Lt. Col. Ralph Peters had tough words about Pfc. Bergdahl’s reported desertion yesterday and has a warning for the media:Partial transcript:PETERS: On that video, he is collaborating with the enemy. Under duress or not, that’s really not relevant. He’s making accusations about the behavior of the military in Afghanistan that are unfounded, saying there are no rules. He’s lying about how he was captured, saying he lagged behind a patrol.Julie, I’ll tell you, any 11 Bravo infantryman will tell you, that’s not how it works. In a war zone, any soldier is aware of where all his buddies are. If it’s a night patrol, you’re sure of where the guy in front of you and behind you is. So we know this private is a liar. We’re not sure if he’s a deserter. But the media needs to hit the pause button and NOT portray this guy as a hero…***Received from a USARPAC soldier this morning:“Please don’t list my name– I am here in Afghanistan– I know the story and the accounts that he was drunk or that he was lagging behind on patrol are not true– this soldier planned this move for a long time. He walked off the post with a day’s supply of water and had written down before that he wanted to live in the mountains. He has violated the Code of Conduct in his 28 minute speech and he is an e[m]barrassment to everyone who has worn the uniform. He made it to two towns and was asking for water when the locals turned him over to the Taliban. That is really all I can say– since we are still looking for this soldier.”And from P.J. Tobia:I’ve been reporting for over a week (along with the AP and WaPo) that Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl, the US soldier who’s gone missing in eastern Afghanistan, walked off the base on his own accord.Now, somebody close to the people searching for Bergdahl has repeated this assertion saying that the soldier left “a note behind that said he was going to the mountains to find himself. He took a journal and 4 or 5 knives with him.” My source tells me that Bergdahl arrived at a village and asked if anybody spoke English. That’s when he was captured.My source tells me that there is no doubt Bergdahl deserted, which in a time of war is punishable by a court martial at the least, or even execution.
Considering what occurred regarding Bowe is critical to assess the swap made - we gave up a lot and the questions will be forthcoming why the US made this move , especially considering how the deal was done ( bypassing Congress .) Taliban just given a great PR victory !
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/05/sgt_bowe_bergdahl_ex.php#
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl exchanged for top 5 Taliban commanders at Gitmo
The US government announced today that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban since 2009, has been released. Bergdahl was exchanged for the top five Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo. The Taliban detainees are reportedly being transferred to Qatar, which helped broker the deal.
The Taliban has long sought freedom for the "Gitmo Five," all of whom are experienced jihadists and helped run the Taliban's operations in pre-9/11 Afghanistan. They served in various military and intelligence roles.
All five of the detainees were deemed "high" risks to the US and its allies by Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO). Two of the five, according to files prepared at Guantanamo, have been wanted by the UN for war crimes.
One of them served as a key intermediary between the Iranian regime and the Taliban after 9/11. During meetings between these two former foes, the Iranians pledged to assist the Taliban in its war against the US.
The Obama administration has long sought to coax the Taliban into meaningful peace talks, which have thus far been fruitless. The Taliban has demanded that the "Gitmo Five" be released before those talks move forward.
A key goal of those talks is to get the Taliban to renounce al Qaeda, something Mullah Omar's group has declined to do. It is difficult to see how the prisoner swap helps to achieve that goal. All five of the now ex-Gitmo detainees were closely allied with al Qaeda prior to their detention. And Bergdahl was initially captured by members of the Haqqani Network, which remains one of al Qaeda's strongest allies to this day.
A key goal of those talks is to get the Taliban to renounce al Qaeda, something Mullah Omar's group has declined to do. It is difficult to see how the prisoner swap helps to achieve that goal. All five of the now ex-Gitmo detainees were closely allied with al Qaeda prior to their detention. And Bergdahl was initially captured by members of the Haqqani Network, which remains one of al Qaeda's strongest allies to this day.
The Long War Journal has published extensive profiles of the five former Guantanamo detainees previously. See LWJ reports: Iran and the Taliban, allies against America; Afghan peace council reportedly seeks talks with Taliban commanders held at Gitmo; DC district court denies former Taliban governor's habeas petition; Taliban seek freedom for dangerous Guantanamo detainees; andAfghan Taliban announces new 'political office' in Qatar.
The profiles below, which are based on declassified and leaked documents, are culled from these previous accounts.
Abdul Haq Wasiq (Internment Serial Number 4), senior Taliban intelligence official
Abdul Haq Wasiq, a former Taliban intelligence official, "had direct access to Taliban and Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) leadership," according to a leaked JTF-GTMO threat assessment. Wasiq "was central to the Taliban's efforts to form alliances with other Islamic fundamentalist groups to fight alongside the Taliban against US and Coalition forces after the 11 September 2001 attacks."
JTF-GTMO concluded that Wasiq "utilized his office to support al Qaeda and to assist Taliban personnel elude capture" in late 2001. Wasiq also "arranged for al Qaeda personnel to train Taliban intelligence staff in intelligence methods."
Al Qaeda's training of Taliban operatives, arranged by Wasiq, was reportedly conducted by Hamza Zubayr, a terrorist who was formerly an instructor at one of al Qaeda's most important training camps. Zubayr was killed during the same September 2002 raid that netted 9/11 facilitator Ramzi Binalshibh. The assistance from Zubayr was crucially important to the Taliban's intelligence efforts, according to the JTF-GTMO file, because many of the administrators in the Taliban Ministry of Intelligence "had no prior intelligence background."
Mullah Norullah Noori (ISN 6), senior Taliban military commander
Another leaked JTF-GTMO file described Noori as a "senior Taliban military commander" who was engaged in hostilities "against US and Coalition forces in late 2001." Noori is "wanted by the United Nations (UN) for possible war crimes including the murder of thousands of Shiite Muslims."
When the JTF-GTMO threat assessment for Noori was authored in February 2008, his brother was still active in the fight against the Coalition. Noori's "brother is a Taliban commander directing operations against US and Coalition forces in Zabul Province." Noori himself "remained a significant figure to Taliban supporters" even after his capture.
In addition to his ties to Mullah Omar and other senior Taliban leaders, Noori was "associated with...senior al Qaeda members and other extremist organizations."
Declassified memos authored at Guantanamo provide more details about Noori's al Qaeda ties. Noori "fought alongside al Qaeda as a Taliban military general, against the Northern Alliance" in September 1995. Noori also "hosted al Qaeda commanders" and "met a subordinate of Osama bin Laden to pass a message from the Taliban supreme leader" - that is, a message from Mullah Omar.
Mullah Mohammad Fazl (ISN 7), Taliban deputy minister of defense
Mullah Mohammad Fazl was one of the Taliban's most experienced commanders prior to his capture in November 2001. Like Noori, according to another leaked JTF-GTMO file, Fazl is "wanted by the UN for possible war crimes including the murder of thousands of Shiites." Fazl "was associated with terrorist groups currently opposing U.S. and Coalition forces including al Qaeda, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG), and an Anti-Coalition Militia group known as Harakat-i-Inqilab-i-Islami."
Fazl had "operational associations with significant al Qaeda and other extremist personnel," according to JTF-GTMO. One of the high-ranking al Qaeda commanders Fazl long cooperated with was Abdel Hadi al Iraqi, who led Osama bin Laden's Arab 055 Brigade in the Taliban's Afghanistan. The 055 Brigade was bin Laden's chief fighting force and served alongside Taliban units.
Immediately "following the assassination of Northern Alliance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud in September 2001," al Iraqi explained to US officials, "the Northern Alliance was demoralized" and he met with Fazl to "coordinate an attack with the Taliban against the Northern Alliance."
Prior to his detention, Fazl "wielded considerable influence throughout the northern region of Afghanistan and his influence continued after his capture." Fazl's "name and capture have been used in recruiting campaigns by the Taliban."
"If released," JTF-GTMO warned in a February 2008 memo, Fazl "would likely rejoin the Taliban and establish ties with [Anti-Coalition Militia] elements participating in hostilities against U.S. and Coalition forces in Afghanistan."
Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa (ISN 579), former governor of Herat province
Khairkhwa was one of Mullah Omar's closest confidantes prior to his capture. According to a JTF-GTMO file, Khairkhwa "was directly associated" with both Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar. "Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks," the leaked JTF-GTMO file reads, Khairkhwa "represented the Taliban during meetings with Iranian officials seeking to support hostilities against US and Coalition Forces." In June 2011, a DC district court denied Khairkhwa's petition for a writ of habeas corpus, based in large part on his admitted role in brokering the Taliban's post-9/11 deal with the Iranians. [See LWJ report, DC district court denies former Taliban governor's habeas petition.]
As the governor of Afghanistan's western Herat province, Khairkhwa and "his deputy were probably associated with a militant training camp in Herat operated by deceased al Qaeda commander (in Iraq) Abu Musab al Zarqawi."
In declassified memos prepared at Guantanamo, US officials alleged that Khairkhwa became a major drug trafficker as well. Khairkhwa reportedly built three walled compounds that he used to manage his opium trade. And he allegedly oversaw one of Osama bin Laden's training facilities in Herat, too. One US government memo noted that only Khairkhwa or bin Laden himself "could authorize entrance" to the facility, which was one of bin Laden's "most important bases" and "conducted terrorist training two times per week."
Mohammad Nabi Omari (ISN 832), senior Taliban leader who served multiple roles
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In a leaked memo dated Jan. 23, 2008, JTF-GTMO analysts recommended that Nabi be held in "continued detention" by the Defense Department. Nabi "was a senior Taliban official who served in multiple leadership roles," according to JTF-GTMO. Nabi "had strong operational ties to Anti-Coalition Militia (ACM) groups including al Qaeda, the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG), some of whom remain active in ACM activities."
Intelligence reports cited by JTF-GTMO indicate that Nabi was a "member of a joint al Qaeda/Taliban ACM cell in Khowst and was involved in attacks against US and Coalition forces." Nabi also "maintained weapons caches and facilitated the smuggling of fighters and weapons."
Prior to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Nabi worked for the Taliban's border security and in this capacity had "access to senior Taliban commander and leader of the Haqqani Network, Jalaluddin Haqqani." Haqqani was the Taliban Minister of Frontiers and Borders at the time and this is what gave Nabi the opportunity to become Haqqani's "close associate," according to JTF-GTMO.
One "sensitive contact" told authorities that Nabi was one of "three former Taliban commanders loyal to Haqqani." The other two are Nabi's brother-in-law, Malim Jan, and Gul Majid. The three worked under still another Taliban commander, Zakim Khan.
Malim Jan was nicknamed the "Butcher of Khowst" for his reported role in murdering 300 people there. Jan was a sub-commander under Haqqani and the head of a "Secret Police" unit.
Intelligence reports cited by JTF-GTMO indicate that Malim Jan, Gul Majid, and Zakim Khan were all still active in the insurgency in Afghanistan as of late 2007.
A "sensitive contact" told authorities that Nabi participated in a Jan. 26, 2002 "planning session to identify a new Governor of Khowst and to propose a list of members for the Khowst City Shura Council loyal to Haqqani." Several other high-level Taliban and Haqqani officials attended the meeting. One of them "directed the group to reconvene after members discussed names with al Qaeda members in their provinces." The leaked JTF-GTMO memo notes: "The plan was to have all personnel identified and vetted to prepare for future al Qaeda control of the area under Jalaluddin Haqqani."
Beginning in February 2002, according to another intelligence report cited by JTF-GTMO, Nabi and "three al Qaeda affiliated individuals held weekly meetings to discuss ACM plans and to coordinate Haqqani loyalists."
Then, in July 2002, an "Afghan government employee" reported that Nabi had joined "a new Khowst province ACM cell comprised of Taliban and al Qaeda commanders who had operated independently in the past." The list of cell members provided by this source included not only Taliban and al Qaeda leaders, but also individuals affiliated with the HIG and the Haqqani Network.
The JTF-GTMO file includes an intriguing detail about one member of Nabi's cell - a Haqqani money courier named Malik Khan. "Ayman al Zawahiri, the number two leader of al Qaeda" at the time, and now al Qaeda's emir, "has stayed at Khan's compound located outside Miram Shah," Pakistan.
In August 2002, Nabi reportedly helped two al Qaeda operatives smuggle "an unknown number of missiles along the highway between Jalalabad and Peshawar," Pakistan. The missiles were smuggled in pieces, with the intent of rebuilding them for attacks near the Jalalabad airport. On Aug. 28, 2002, JTF-GTMO analysts noted, "two Americans were killed during attacks against the Khowst, Gardez, and Jalalabad airports."
Nabi was captured in September 2002, detained at Bagram, and then transferred to Guantanamo. It was the end, temporarily at least, to a career that started in the 1980s when Nabi first fought as a mujahideen against the Soviets.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/06/taliban_announces_th.php#
Taliban says 'five senior leaders' have been 'liberated' from Guantanamo
Hours after the US government announced that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had been released in exchange for the top five Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo, the Taliban released a statement celebrating the trade. The Taliban's statement, which was first obtained and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, was posted online in Arabic and Pashto.
The five Taliban commanders once held at Guantanamo have been profiled multiple times by The Long War Journal. [For instance, see LWJ report, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl exchanged for top 5 Taliban commanders at Gitmo.]
"With great happiness and joy we give glad tidings to all people, and especially the mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate, and the families of the five senior leaders of the Islamic Emirate, and those who love them and their families," the Taliban says in the opening lines of its announcement of the prisoner swap.
The Taliban is quick to point out that the five ex-Guantanamo detainees were "liberated as a result of non-straightforward negotiations between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and America with mediation from Qatar, and those people will reside in Qatar with their families." In other words, the Taliban stresses that it did not participate in direct negotiations with the Americans. The US government has been pursuing negotiations with the Taliban as part of a reconciliation process for years.
The Taliban also argues that it got a good deal in the prisoner exchange. "It is worth mentioning that the Islamic Emirate, in exchange for the release of its five prominent people,...released one America soldier that it had captured five years ago and handed him over to America," the Taliban says, according to SITE's translation.
The Taliban claims that the "five senior leaders of the Islamic Emirate" will be "received by the members of the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and members of the Leadership Shura [Consultative Council]" of the Taliban in Qatar.
The Taliban announced that it had opened its "political office" in Qatar in early 2012. At the time, the Taliban "demanded the release of its captives from Guantanamo through a prisoner exchange." [See LWJ report, Afghan Taliban announces new 'political office' in Qatar.] That demand has now been met.
The Taliban concludes its statement by saying that it "aims to also quickly release the [other] imprisoned mujahideen, and wants all international human rights organizations to join in their efforts with the Islamic Emirate and the Afghan people to grant all the prisoners their legal and humanitarian rights, and the freedom to live their lives as they wish."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bergdahl-release-arrangement-could-threaten-the-safety-of-americans-republicans-say/2014/05/31/35e47a2a-e8ff-11e3-afc6-a1dd9407abcf_print.html
Bergdahl release arrangement could threaten the safety of Americans, Republicans say
By Karen Tumulty,
Amid jubilation Saturday over the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from captivity by the Taliban, senior Republicans on Capitol Hill said they were troubled by the means by which it was accomplished, which was a deal to release five Afghan detainees from the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Top Republicans on the Senate and House armed services committees went so far as to accuse President Obama of having broken the law, which requires the administration to notify Congress before any transfers from Guantanamo are carried out.
“Trading five senior Taliban leaders from detention in Guantanamo Bay for Bergdahl’s release may have consequences for the rest of our forces and all Americans. Our terrorist adversaries now have a strong incentive to capture Americans. That incentive will put our forces in Afghanistan and around the world at even greater risk,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. McKeon (R-Calif.) and the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, James M. Inhofe (Okla.), said in a joint statement.
Lawmakers were not notified of the Guantanamo detainees’ transfer until after it occurred.
The law requires the defense secretary to notify relevant congressional committees at least 30 days before making any transfers of prisoners, to explain the reason and to provide assurances that those released would not be in a position to reengage in activities that could threaten the United States or its interests.
Before the current law was enacted at the end of last year, the conditions were even more stringent. However, the administration and some Democrats had pressed for them to be loosened, in part to give them more flexibility to negotiate for Bergdahl’s release.
A senior administration official, agreeing to speak on the condition of anonymity to explain the timing of the congressional notification, acknowledged that the law was not followed. When he signed the law last year, Obama issued a signing statement contending that the notification requirement was an unconstitutional infringement on his powers as commander in chief and that he therefore could override it.
“Due to a near-term opportunity to save Sergeant Bergdahl’s life, we moved as quickly as possible,” the official said. “The administration determined that given these unique and exigent circumstances, such a transfer should go forward notwithstanding the notice requirement.”
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that the detainees transferred from Guantanamo to Qatar, where they are to stay for at least a year, “are hardened terrorists who have the blood of Americans and countless Afghans on their hands. I am eager to learn what precise steps are being taken to ensure that these vicious and violent Taliban extremists never return to the fight against the United States and our partners or engage in any activities that can threaten the prospects for peace and security in Afghanistan.”
Beyond this individual instance, some raised the larger question of whether it is sound policy for the United States to have, in the words of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), “negotiated with terrorists.”
Rogers said the action marked a “fundamental shift in U.S. policy.”
Hard to say what's really going on with a swap deal like that, why are we even in Afganistan again ? Was their Air Force threatning to invade us ? Their Navy ? Army ?
ReplyDeleteSomething about their poppy crops and a NG route to Pakistan/India/China ?
In solar flare news, it's time once again for the planet Mercury to go between us and the sun, seen 'ere on the cme prediction animation.,found on solarham:
http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=2038-01-23+00%3A44%3A00&window=-1&cygnetId=261
The last three transits were when we had the biggest flares in the last year, it comes around three times a year. You can see when it went by just looking at the averages page on solarham: http://www.solarham.net/averages.htm
It really seems to also be a factor of where the other planets are in their orbit too. February '14 was the peak of the cycle because Merc went through and the other planets were bunched up close together around Earth's location very much like the solar storm back in the Fall of 2005, which caused hurricanes Katrina, Rita etc. This month's session might be active, but in October when Mercury comes around again, the other planets will be much more evenly distributed around the sun. I think this month's flares will be about the last of the cycle., just have to wait and watch, eh ?
Cheers,, NW
Good afternoon NW - Yeah , there was a pipe( line ) dream the US had , which the Taliban rejected. Shortly after the rejection , we saw 9-11 unroll and not long after that , the Taliban was deposed. And poppy production was reduced substantially during Taliban rule - poppy business has been booming since the US invasion deposed the Taliban. The question is why make this trade for a man with real questions surrounding the circumstances of his capture , why did we give up the 5 key Taliban leaders , why did the deal occur at this time and are we quietly negotiating with the Taliban despite any official denials ?
DeleteYeah , we shall have to see whether we get any CME's from the Sun and whether they are ejected earthward and if so , will any be X class ?
Why do the swap now ? They need another distraction. Kerry just got out of testifying on Bengazi,they're arming Syran "rebels", All the markets are RIGGED,etc etc etc....
ReplyDeleteMy question is -- who's yo daddy,O ? And then go from there...
NW
Last week it was all " Vets dying on lists"on every channel , ooo, that's bad. So O fires the head cheese , and everything's fine now, O's the hero.
ReplyDeleteNow this week it'll be "Afgan POW comes home" , and O looks like the hero again.
http://www.reuters.com/video/2014/06/01/parents-of-freed-american-pow-welcome-hi?videoId=313150332&videoChannel=1
Yayyy, O saved the day and rescued the POW...yayyyy.
Gag me.
Hey, who's yo daddy , O?
NW
http://nypost.com/2014/05/31/the-bizarre-tale-of-americas-last-known-pow/
DeleteBergdahl as deserter / collaborator getting media traction -- questions will come as to why we swapped high value Gitmo prisoners ( they were collectively known as the Gitmo 5 ) for this guy ?
Oh, and Vlad kiboshed the US TAPI NG pipeline plans through Afganland.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.naturalgaseurope.com/us-russia-tapi-role-china-turkmenistan-advantage
With guess who ? China partnered all up on it. LOL
NW
Why am i not surprised China and russia are acting as Allies ?
Deletehttp://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-01/are-china-and-russia-moving-toward-formal-alliance