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‘Taliban Five’ travel ban set to expire; ex-Gitmo detainees exchanged for Berghdal
By Jeffrey Scott Shapiro - The Washington Times - Saturday, May 30, 2015
The one-year travel ban imposed on five freed Guantanamo detainees, who last year were exchanged for captured U.S. Army Sgt. Robert ‘Bowe’ Bergdahl, expires May 31, giving the ex-Taliban fighters the right to leave Qatar and return to Afghanistan or elsewhere.
The five Taliban fighters—Mohammed Fazl, Khairullah Khairkhwa, Norullah Noori, Mohammed Nabi Omari and Abdul Haq Wasiq—also known as the ‘Taliban 5’ were released at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan in exchange for Sgt. Bergdahl who had previously been captured there in 2010.
U.S. intelligence sources declined to comment since the travel ban is only now expiring and they do not know whether any of the five Taliban fighters will return to Afghanistan or even leave Qatar. Some intelligence experts believe the exchange and release of the five terrorists placed U.S. interests at risk.
Gen. Michael Hayden, a retired four-star USAF General who also served as Director of the National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency believes that the exchange could endanger Americans in the future.
“I tried to be generous when it was first announced because ‘no man left behind,’ but in the cool light of day I think it was a bad move. I’m troubled we did this for someone whom there was good evidence at the time, was a deserter, and now beyond that you have a precedent that the U.S. does indeed negotiate over hostages,” he told the Washington Times.
Paul Miller, a former advisor on national security matters for both Mr. Obama and Mr. Bush said merely communicating with the Taliban is not wrong, but negotiating for American lives diminishes American presence.
“Talking with the Taliban is necessary to ending this war, but not in a way that compromises U.S. interests in South Asia or the Afghan government’s viability,” he told the Times.
Rep. Howard P. McKeon (R., Calif.) chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Sen. James Inofe (R., Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee intensely criticized the exchange in a joint statement last year saying it “may have consequences for the rest of our forces and all Americans. Our terrorist adversaries now have a strong incentive to capture Americans.”
According to a March report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), 116 former Guantanamo detainees “have returned to terrorism.” Of that 116, 23 are back in custody, 25 are dead—some killed by American drone strikes—and 68 are at large including five of whom were released by President Obama.
More than 55 different countries have accepted freed Guantanamo detainees with the U.S. typically continuing to enforce or monitor them during their conditional release period. Some of the countries leading the list however, are the very nations where terrorism blossoms most including Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Yemen, a fact that ODNI reports is problematic.
“Based on trends identified during the past eleven years, we assess that some detainees currently at GTMO will seek to reengage in terrorist or insurgent activities after they are transferred,” the report reads. “Transfers to countries with ongoing conflicts and internal instability as well as active recruitment by insurgent and terrorist organizations pose particular problems.”
Another 69 released detainees are ‘suspected of reengaging’ in terrorism and 55 are reportedly on the loose.
Under current intelligence laws, merely engaging in anti-American propaganda or communicating with other former Guantanamo detainees does not qualify as terrorist recidivism.
To be “confirmed” of reengaging in terrorist activities, a detainee must demonstrate that a “preponderance of information” identifies them “as directly involved in terrorist or insurgent activities.”
The definition of “suspected” or reengagement is that there is “plausible but unverified or single-source reporting indicating a specific former Gitmo detainee is directly involved in terrorist or insurgent activities.”
By Jeffrey Scott Shapiro - The Washington Times - Saturday, May 30, 2015
The one-year travel ban imposed on five freed Guantanamo detainees, who last year were exchanged for captured U.S. Army Sgt. Robert ‘Bowe’ Bergdahl, expires May 31, giving the ex-Taliban fighters the right to leave Qatar and return to Afghanistan or elsewhere.
The five Taliban fighters—Mohammed Fazl, Khairullah Khairkhwa, Norullah Noori, Mohammed Nabi Omari and Abdul Haq Wasiq—also known as the ‘Taliban 5’ were released at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan in exchange for Sgt. Bergdahl who had previously been captured there in 2010.
U.S. intelligence sources declined to comment since the travel ban is only now expiring and they do not know whether any of the five Taliban fighters will return to Afghanistan or even leave Qatar. Some intelligence experts believe the exchange and release of the five terrorists placed U.S. interests at risk.
Gen. Michael Hayden, a retired four-star USAF General who also served as Director of the National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency believes that the exchange could endanger Americans in the future.
“I tried to be generous when it was first announced because ‘no man left behind,’ but in the cool light of day I think it was a bad move. I’m troubled we did this for someone whom there was good evidence at the time, was a deserter, and now beyond that you have a precedent that the U.S. does indeed negotiate over hostages,” he told the Washington Times.
Paul Miller, a former advisor on national security matters for both Mr. Obama and Mr. Bush said merely communicating with the Taliban is not wrong, but negotiating for American lives diminishes American presence.
“Talking with the Taliban is necessary to ending this war, but not in a way that compromises U.S. interests in South Asia or the Afghan government’s viability,” he told the Times.
Rep. Howard P. McKeon (R., Calif.) chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Sen. James Inofe (R., Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee intensely criticized the exchange in a joint statement last year saying it “may have consequences for the rest of our forces and all Americans. Our terrorist adversaries now have a strong incentive to capture Americans.”
According to a March report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), 116 former Guantanamo detainees “have returned to terrorism.” Of that 116, 23 are back in custody, 25 are dead—some killed by American drone strikes—and 68 are at large including five of whom were released by President Obama.
More than 55 different countries have accepted freed Guantanamo detainees with the U.S. typically continuing to enforce or monitor them during their conditional release period. Some of the countries leading the list however, are the very nations where terrorism blossoms most including Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Yemen, a fact that ODNI reports is problematic.
“Based on trends identified during the past eleven years, we assess that some detainees currently at GTMO will seek to reengage in terrorist or insurgent activities after they are transferred,” the report reads. “Transfers to countries with ongoing conflicts and internal instability as well as active recruitment by insurgent and terrorist organizations pose particular problems.”
Another 69 released detainees are ‘suspected of reengaging’ in terrorism and 55 are reportedly on the loose.
Under current intelligence laws, merely engaging in anti-American propaganda or communicating with other former Guantanamo detainees does not qualify as terrorist recidivism.
To be “confirmed” of reengaging in terrorist activities, a detainee must demonstrate that a “preponderance of information” identifies them “as directly involved in terrorist or insurgent activities.”
The definition of “suspected” or reengagement is that there is “plausible but unverified or single-source reporting indicating a specific former Gitmo detainee is directly involved in terrorist or insurgent activities.”
