U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who has been held in Afghanistan by the Taliban since 2009, has been released by the Taliban. The release of Bergdahl was peaceful, according to CNN, with about 18 Taliban present who handed him over to our own Special Forces.
He is apparently being held at an undisclosed base in Afghanistan until doctors are sure he can travel. From there he will go to Bagram and then I’m guessing he’ll be headed home.
CNN reports that when Bergdahl was on the helicopter he wrote on a plate “S.F.?” because it was too loud to talk. At that point the Special Forces responded loudly “Yes, we’ve been looking for you for a long time” and at that point Bergdahl broke down crying.
The release was coordinated by the government of Qatar, who in exchange will receive 5 prisoners being held at GITMO.
UPDATE: Here’s info on the GITMO prisoners being released from The Daily Beast, and it doesn’t look good at all:
According to a 2008 Pentagon dossier on Guantanamo Bay inmates, all five men released were considered to be a high risk to launch attacks against the United States and its allies if they were liberated. The exchange shows that the Obama administration was willing to pay a steep price, indeed, for Bergdahl’s freedom. The administration says they will be transferred to Qatar, which played a key role in the negotiations.
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.
While not as well known as Guantanamo inmates like 9-11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the Taliban 5 were some of the worst outlaws in the U.S. war on terror. And their release will end up replenishing the diminished leadership ranks of the Afghan Taliban at a moment when the United States is winding down the war there.
“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.