Bowe Bergdahl, the only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan, has been freed

originally posted by: JiggyPotamus
This is a huge deal considering the idea of the US not negotiating with terrorists. Ever since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan started you had two types of kidnappers. Criminal organizations who simply wanted money, and terrorist organizations like this one who simply wanted to execute people. The fact that they kept him alive so long is quite surprising, but I suspect they had long wanted to trade him.

Trading prisoners is usually something that is done between two nations who are at war. Al-Qaeda is labelled as a terrorist organization and therefore prisoner exchanges are negotiations, with terrorists. So does this represent some sort of shift in US foreign policy? I find that hard to believe personally.

Do I think it was the right thing to do? Absolutely. This is different from paying ransom for instance. I'm surprised the SF guys weren't tasked with securing the soldier and then eliminating those making the exchange. Heck, that could have happened, and we wouldn't know about it. They could have inserted a sniper team nearby perhaps. US soldiers can kill from a much longer distance than Al-Qaeda. But I don't know. Maybe the US felt that the 4 detainees were not a threat. I find it hard to believe they would release well-known or highly ranking members of Al-Qaeda. But I also find it hard to believe that this group would not ask for those specific prisoners.

Depends
Was it Al queda or the Taliban they negotiated with? If it was the taliban it could be argued it was terrorists they negotiated with but a enemy the US is currently at war with.

originally posted by: neo96
IF the guy walked off base the military doesn't like AWOL.

Out of the frying pan in to the fire.

So you would have him court martialed then?

Really?

I think the poor sod learned his lesson about walking off base!

originally posted by: neo96

Good job Obama , and its a nice gesture, but you wana show our military you wont leave them behind , HELP THE ONES AT HOME TOO! - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

IF he 'cared' he would have sent Seal Team 6 after the guy instead of releasing 5 gitmo detainees.

People have soldiers blood on their hands, and will go right back to business of killing the 'infidels'.

So yeah lets hold 5 people is a glorified torture camp that wont make them stand trial

GOOD IDEA!

Something one should expect from the "land of the free"

Sorry if they are guilty of a crime they should have stood trial and if guilty imprisoned in a normal federal or military jail.

As there was NO trial for those 5 then they are innocent and should be released.

originally posted by: Leonidas
Seriously. This administration can't even gain the release of an America POW without stepping on it's own dick.

I have less of a problem with the White House acting without Congress - I seriously doubt ANY deal could happen if Congress was involved. But the guys they let go in exchange is disturbing.

Biographies of the exchanged Taliban:an:

1. Mohammad Fazl, the former Taliban defense minister during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, chief of staff of the Taliban army, and commander of its 22nd Division. According to a U.S. Department of Defense document obtained by Wikileaks, Fazl is believed to be an associate of Supreme Taliban Commander Mullah Omar and was “wanted by the UN for possible war crimes including the murder of thousands of Shiites,” surrendered to the Northern Alliance commander Gen. Dostum in November 2001.

“Detainee is assessed to be a HIGH risk, as he is likely to pose a threat to the US, its interests, and allies,” his Guantanamo detainee file reads. “If released, detainee would likely rejoin the Taliban and establish ties with ACM [anti-coalition militia] elements participating in hostilities against US and Coalition forces in Afghanistan.”

2. Mullah Norullah Noori, a former Taliban military commander and Taliban governor of two Afghan provinces, who led Taliban forces against U.S. and coalition troops and was also “wanted by the United Nations (UN) for possible war crimes including the murder of thousands of Shiite Muslims” as Fazl was, according to Noori’s Guantanamo prisoner file as obtained and posted by Wikileaks. He is also believed to be associated with Supreme Taliban Commander Mullah Omar.

Noori commanded the Taliban in the northern city of Mazar e-Sharif. Like Fazl, he surrendered to Gen. Dostum in 2001.

Rated a “HIGH” threat to U.S. security interests if released, Noori is or was associated with members of al Qaeda, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, and Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin.

3. Mohammed Nabi, another senior Taliban official with ties to al Qaeda, the Haqqani Network, Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin, and other anti-U.S., Taliban-allied groups, according to his Guantanamo Bay file as posted by Wikileaks.
Also rated as a “HIGH” security threat if released, Nabi fought with the mujahideen against the Soviets. After that, he told the Americans who captured and detained him, he was an off-and-on Taliban member in the early 2000s, worked for the chief of the Taliban’s Border Department, which controlled smuggling. In early spring of 2002, he left the Taliban to sell used cars in a small village near Khowst and became a CIA informant.

According to his Defense Dept. file, Nabi was involved in attacks against U.S. and coalition forces and facilitated smuggling routes for the Taliban and al Qaeda.

4. Khairullah Khairkhwa, a direct associate of Osama bin Laden according to his Defense Dept. detainee file obtained by Wikileaks, and a senior Taliban military commander who also served as the Taliban’s minister of Interior and the governor of Herat.

He represented the Taliban at meetings with Iranian officials seeking to support actions against U.S. and coalition forces after the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the document. He attended a meeting at the direction of bin Laden, reportedly accompanied by members of Hamas, the document says, and is believe to have been one of the major opium lords of western Afghanistan.

In 2002, he sought to negotiate an integration into the new government through Wali Karzai, the brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai who has been accused of corruption and drug smuggling, but was arrested by Pakistani border patrol and released by Pakistan into U.S. custody.
He is also deemed a “HIGH” threat if released.

5. Abdul Haq Wasiq, the Taliban’s former deputy minister of intelligence, had direct connections to Taliban leadership and was “central to the Taliban’s efforts to form alliances with other Islamic fundamentalist groups” to fight against U.S. and coalition forces, according to his Defense Dept. file obtained by Wikileaks.

He also used his position to support al Qaeda, assist Taliban personnel in eluding capture, and arranged for al Qaeda members to train Taliban intelligence staff, according to the file.

He seems to have later turned informant, as his file notes that Wasiq was arrested after a meeting with two Americans and a translator, in which he was supposed to deliver information leading to the capture of Mullah Omar. Shortly after the meeting, U.S. forces arrested him.

GREAT!

Then why did they not stand trial for there crimes and be legally sentenced?

No trial NO guilt.

I was brought up to believe if you commit a crime you stand TRIAL in front of a jury. And that applies to everyone.
Maybe in America that's a dirt commie terrorist idea but that what I believe is right.

I hope all of you that believe this guy is loyal are right but I fear that this is going to go bad in the coming weeks ahead.

They gave 5 of the worst Talban leaders in exchange for him, that in its self opens up the possibility of grabbing solders and doing this again and again... at least when you are dealing with a country with a president that is willing to negotiate with terrorist and do something like this on his own.

Funny how when this guy finally does something that people think is good it turns out to be nothing more then another part of Obama's agenda.

I hope I'm wrong.

originally posted by: Soloprotocol
Who..??? And i dont mean that a derogatory term...never heard of the guy. I wonder who they swapped him for.?

No wonder they never made a big fuss about him. He was a deserter. In fact they said the soldier couldn't (or wouldn't) speak English. There's more to this story than meets the eye.

www.4029tv.com...

"Is Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl a hero or a deserter"?
www.cbsnews.com...

did a little digging...


We were at OP Mest, Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It was a small outpost where B Co 1-501st INF (Airbone) ran operations out of, just an Infantry platoon and ANA counterparts there. The place was an Afghan graveyard. Bergdahl had been acting a little strange, telling people he wanted to "walk the earth" and kept a little journal talking about how he was meant for better things. No one thought anything about it. He was a little “out there”. Next morning he's gone. We search everywhere, and can't find him. He left his weapon, his kit, and other sensitive items. He only took some water, a compass and a knife. We find some afghan kids shortly after who saw an american walking north asking about where the taliban are. We get hits on our voice intercepter that Taliban has him, and we were close. We come to realize that the kid deserted his post, snuck out of camp and sought out Taliban… to join them. We were in a defensive position at OP Mest, where your focus is to keep people out. He knew where the blind spots were to slip out and that's what he did. It was supposed to be a 4-day mission but turned into several months of active searching. Everyone was spun up to find this guy. News outlets all over the country were putting out false information. It was hard to see, especially when we knew the truth about what happened and we lost good men trying to find him. PFC Matthew Michael Martinek, Staff Sgt. Kurt Robert Curtiss, SSG Clayton Bowen, PFC Morris Walker, SSG Michael Murphrey, 2LT Darryn Andrews, were all KIA from our unit who died looking for Bergdahl. Many others from various units were wounded or killed while actively looking for Bergdahl. Fighting Increased. IEDs and enemy ambushes increased. The Taliban knew that we were looking for him in high numbers and our movements were predictable. Because of Bergdahl, more men were out in danger, and more attacks on friendly camps and positions were conducted while we were out looking for him. His actions impacted the region more than anyone wants to admit. There is also no way to know what he told the Taliban: Our movements, locations, tactics, weak points on vehicles and other things for the enemy to exploit are just a few possibilities. The Government knows full well that he deserted. It looks bad and is a good propaganda piece for the Taliban. They refuse to acknowledge it. Hell they even promoted him to Sergeant which makes me sick. I feel for his family who only want their son/brother back. They don’t know the truth, or refuse to acknowledge it as well. What he did affected his family and his whole town back home, who don’t know the truth. Either way what matters is that good men died because of him. He has been lying on all those Taliban videos about everything since his “capture”. If he ever returns, he should be tried under the UCMJ for being a deserter and judged for what he did. Bergdahl is not a hero, he is not a soldier or an Infantryman. He failed his brothers. Now, sons and daughters are growing up without their fathers who died for him and he will have to face that truth someday."

a reply to: ThinkYouSpeak

So we trade five GITMO Taliban criminals for one Taliban US POW who sought out the Taliban willingly after deserting his company? No wonder Obama illegally did this swap without going through congress. Another year and a half of this criminal in the WH. That should be more than enough time for him to completely sellout the rest of this great country.

Bergdahl is gonna become the new Oswald.

originally posted by: UnBreakable
a reply to: ThinkYouSpeak

So we trade five GITMO Taliban criminals for one Taliban US POW who sought out the Taliban willingly after deserting his company? No wonder Obama illegally did this swap without going through congress. Another year and a half of this criminal in the WH. That should be more than enough time for him to completely sellout the rest of this great country.

How can they be criminals when they were not charged and tried for there "crimes"

O thats right! Silly me! Its guilty till proven innocent and trials are luxourys in the "land of the free"

I forget that due process and universal rights to a fair trial are un american and against freedom silly me!

I better take my dirty commie typical tyranical british values and scram.

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: UnBreakable
a reply to: ThinkYouSpeak

So we trade five GITMO Taliban criminals for one Taliban US POW who sought out the Taliban willingly after deserting his company? No wonder Obama illegally did this swap without going through congress. Another year and a half of this criminal in the WH. That should be more than enough time for him to completely sellout the rest of this great country.

How can they be criminals when they were not charged and tried for there "crimes"

O thats right! Silly me! Its guilty till proven innocent and trials are luxourys in the "land of the free"

I forget that due process and universal rights to a fair trial are un american and against freedom silly me!

I better take my dirty commie typical tyranical british values and scram.

A senior U.S. defense official confirmed Saturday that the prisoners to be released include Mullah Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Norullah Noori, Abdul Haq Wasiq, Khairullah Khairkhwa and Mohammed Nabi Omari.

“They are undoubtedly among the most dangerous Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo,” said Thomas Joscelyn, a senior editor at the Long War Journal who keeps a close watch on developments concerning the detainees left at the Guantanamo Bay prison.

Fazl, for example, was the Taliban’s former deputy defense minister and is wanted by the United Nations for his role in massacres targeting Afghan’s Shi’ite Muslim population.

According to the 2008 Pentagon’s dossier on Fazl disclosed by Wikileaks (PDF), Noori also was a senior Taliban military figure and, according to his Pentagon dossier, was asked personally in 1995 by Osama bin Laden (PDF) to participate in an offensive against northern alliance warlord Rashid Dostum.

Wasiq, a former deputy minister of intelligence, at one point tried to cooperate with U.S. forces in Afghanistan and asked for a GPS system as well as a special radio to communicate with the U.S. military after the U.S. invasion in 2001. His dossier (PDF) says that he was a crucial liaison between the Taliban and other Islamic fundamentalist groups while he was deputy intelligence minister. But the 2008 report also said he was holding out information he had on other top al Qaeda and Taliban leaders during interrogations.

Khairkhwa, a former Taliban governor of Herat, was considered by the Pentagon’s 2008 dossier to be a likely heroin trafficker (PDF). That dossier also says he likely participated in meetings with Iranian officials after 9-11 to help plot attacks on U.S. forces following the invasion.

Nabi held several military leadership posts for the Taliban and helped organize the al Qaeda/Taliban militias that fought against U.S. and coalition troops in the first year of the war, according to his Pentagon dossier



in short, yes you better take your dirty commie typical tyranical british values and scram. your words, not mine cupcake.

a reply to: ThinkYouSpeak

So tell me please cupcake

If they were dangrous and criminal why did they not stand trial?

Please tell me how a countery that "values" freedom can hold one indeffinatly without trial.

Surely a key cornerstone of freedom is right to a fair trial and innocent until proven guilty?

If that makes me a dirty commie tyranical brit then so be it i will wear it with pride, I certiainly dont want your mock pretend American pesudo freedem,

originally posted by: romilo
Lol i dont see him as hero or anything like that, just another stupid young dude going to rich man wars and get cought while there, dont got no sympathy from me except hes family who had suffer mean while. Those who have to defend their country from these invadors get my sympathy!

Spell much? I sure hope English is not your first language, given that you are also bandying around words like 'stupid'.

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: UnBreakable
a reply to: ThinkYouSpeak

So we trade five GITMO Taliban criminals for one Taliban US POW who sought out the Taliban willingly after deserting his company? No wonder Obama illegally did this swap without going through congress. Another year and a half of this criminal in the WH. That should be more than enough time for him to completely sellout the rest of this great country.

How can they be criminals when they were not charged and tried for there "crimes"

O thats right! Silly me! Its guilty till proven innocent and trials are luxourys in the "land of the free"

I forget that due process and universal rights to a fair trial are un american and against freedom silly me!

I better take my dirty commie typical tyranical british values and scram.

I may be wrong but the whole innocent till proven guilty is to protect its citizens and not terrorists.

As can be expected, Mullah Omar is pretty happy with his end of the deal.

Taliban Celebtrate Prisoner Exchange "Victory"

How do you all think this is going to resolve?

How much of the "why and the how" are you expecting to learn?

originally posted by: JohnnyCanuck

originally posted by: romilo
Lol i dont see him as hero or anything like that, just another stupid young dude going to rich man wars and get cought while there, dont got no sympathy from me except hes family who had suffer mean while. Those who have to defend their country from these invadors get my sympathy!

Spell much? I sure hope English is not your first language, given that you are also bandying around words like 'stupid'.

Thanks for that well thought out reply that has so much to do with this topic

Your awesome.

so who gets too "de-brief" Sgt Bergdahl ,,,first??

or are there orders from command heights,,too let him pass,?

a reply to: crazyewok

I wonder why this thread wasn't closed since there was already a thread going hours prior on the same topic.

Anyhoo... the taliban are not citizens... they don't have the same rights only the rights afforded under the geneva convention which they got.

However, 2 of them are STILL wanted by the UN to be tried for war crimes under international law... and the US entirely bypassed any respect of the UN or international law by setting them free instead of handing them over to be tried.

go figure...

originally posted by: BobAthome
so who gets too "de-brief" Sgt Bergdahl ,,,first??

or are there orders from command heights,,too let him pass,?

He is in Germany. His parents are not allowed to talk to him.

If you have a chance to see a synopsis of the Press-Conference with his parents this afternoon, check it out. It is surreal and bizarre.

originally posted by: Leonidas
As can be expected, Mullah Omar is pretty happy with his end of the deal.



Taliban Celebtrate Prisoner Exchange "Victory"



How do you all think this is going to resolve?



How much of the "why and the how" are you expecting to learn?

We'll never know the "why and the how". The fact that this "POW" Taliban sympathizer deserted his post without his weapon we never be shared with John Q. Public. But as sure as rain, at least one of the GITMO prisoners in the trade will do something to harm us in a revenge scenario. Book it.