Just days ago, it had sounded like this plan had faltered when the Taliban refused to agree to a cease-fire before starting talks. These are no small fish, either; some are prominent detainees considered "high-risk." It is less clear from this report whether their release would be part of a quid-pro-quo exchange of actions for actions, or closer to earlier reports that spoke of nebulous "confidence building" measures and appeared to offer U.S. actions in exchange for pledges from the Taliban.
"US confirms possible release of Taliban from Gitmo," by Ann Gearan and Kimberly Dozier for the Associated Press, January 31:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. intelligence officials acknowledged Tuesday that the United States may release several Afghan Taliban prisoners from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as an incentive to bring the Taliban to peace talks.Meanwhile, Afghan officials told The Associated Press that a plan to give Afghanistan a form of legal custody over the men if they are released satisfied their earlier objection to sending the prisoners to a third country.
Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper told Congress Tuesday that no decision had been made on whether to trade the five Taliban prisoners, now held at Guantanamo Bay as part of nascent peace talks with the Taliban. He and CIA Director David Petraeus did not dispute that the Obama administration is considering
transferring the five to a third country.
U.S. officials and others had previously spoken only vaguely, and usually anonymously, about the proposal to send the prisoners to Qatar, a Persian Gulf country that has asserted a central role in framing talks that might end the 10-year war in Afghanistan. The lead U.S. negotiator trying to coax the Taliban into talks had also publicly acknowledged the possibility of a release, but said there was no final decision.
The prisoners proposed for transfer include some of the detainees brought to Guantanamo during the initial days and weeks of the U.S. invasion that toppled the Taliban government in Afghanistan in 2001. At least one has been accused in the massacre of thousands of Shiite Muslims in Afghanistan, according to U.S. and other assessments, but none are accused of directly killing Americans.
"I don't think anybody harbors any illusions about it, but I think the position is to at least explore the potential for negotiating with them as a part of this overall resolution of the situation in Afghanistan," Clapper said during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.
The Obama administration has recently embraced the possibility of negotiation with the Taliban much more openly, saying that although they remain cautious they are also encouraged that the militants may be ready to bargain. Peace talks, if they come to pass, would include the elected Afghan government and, at least at the outset, representatives of the U.S. government. With nearly 100,000 troops in Afghanistan and a war and development budget in the billions of dollars, the U.S. remains the largest power broker in Afghanistan.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai supports a prisoner release as a means to build confidence among the Taliban militants that talks are worthwhile, but he had balked at the U.S.-backed plan to send them to Qatar instead of home to Afghanistan. That plan appeared to undercut his authority and offend Afghan sovereignty, Afghan officials said. Karzai yanked his ambassador from Qatar, saying Qatar had not kept him properly informed....
The US could kill two birds with one stone here. Why not send the delightful shiite killer to Iran? I'm sure they would be grateful to take him in:-) Just my thoughts.
1. Implant gps trackers into their skulls.
2. Trade our guy for their clown buddies in Guantanamo.
3. Pull out of "peace talks".
4. Drone em' all simultaneously.
That'll learn 'em, as my Dad is fond of saying.
But look how those cowards in the US military and CIA vehemently opposed to a pardon for Jonathan Pollard even after he has spent 26 years in prison! Qais al-Khazali in Iraq, whose Iranian and Iranian-trained jihadis kidnapped and executed 5 American soldiers in 2007, let loose after 2 months in detention and are now in the Iraqi Parliament. A senior Lebanese Hezbollah commander Ali Mussa al-Daqduq who was also involved, and who killed scores of other American soldiers with IED's RELEASED BY THE FOUR-STAR MALE WHORES OF THE US MILITARY JUST TWO MONTHS AGO, IN NOVEMBER!
But those whores in uniform go ballistic at any suggestion to pardon Pollard! This is because those cowardly dhimmies whom the Muslim Arabs laughingly and publically call "their white American slaves" boast to the Muslims every time they visit a Muslim country: "Look, Pollard is a Jew and an Israeli spy, and we are totally mercyless to him. See, we are not pro-Jewish". By his own admission, a 4-star whore US Army Gen. Tommy Franks, the Commander of Central Command, every time he visited a Muslim country, would without prompting whip-out his passport and present it to his Muslim hosts (masters)to show to them that he had never visited Israel: "See, I have never set foot in Israel, because I don't care for it". His successor US Army Gen. David Petraeus is an even worse whore. He DID visit Israel, again, again and again, always for the same reason: TO RESTRAIN ISRAEL FROM BOMBING THE NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS IN IRAN.
With this Mr. Prositute attitude prevalent among top US military men, it is no wonder we have lost wars in both Iraq and Aghanistan. The loss of the lives of more than 6,000 American soldiers, and more than 3,000 civilian contractors, and the horrendous loss in treasury, all for nothing.
Ruslan Tokhchukov, EnragedSince1999.
These peace talks, like those before this, are withless. Jimmy Carter proved that decades ago. The instructions in the Koran and the Hadith are as clear as can be. It matters not what kaffirs say, or do, or think, those words remain exactly the same. The United States should have learned that many years ago.
These peace talks are going to go bad for the U.S. mark my words. Haven't these folks ever heard of taqiyya.?
These peace talks, like those before this, are withless. Jimmy Carter proved that decades ago. The instructions in the Koran and the Hadith are as clear as can be. It matters not what kaffirs say, or do, or think, those words and ideology remains exactly the same. The United States should have learned that many years ago. How much suffering and money does it take to teach that ignorance is not and asset.?
These peace talks are going to go bad for the U.S. mark my words. Haven't these good meaning folks ever heard of taqiyya.?