In its quest to bring home the last remaining captive solider from Afghanistan, the Obama administration reportedly did not follow standard detainee release procedures and ignored concerns voiced by the intelligence community that the inmates selected for the trade may be too dangerous.
The release of Islamist militants from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl was orchestrated by President Barack Obama's national security team comprised of Pentagon, State Department and Joint Chiefs of Staff officials.
'There was no dissent on moving forward with this plan,' National Security Counsel Deputy for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes told Time Magazine.
Prisoner swap: Abdul Waq-Hasiq, left, and Norullah Noori, right, have been freed from Guantanamo Bay
Mohammad Fazi is believed to have been at the command of a mass killing
This week, the Guantanamo quintet were shipped off to Doha, Qatar, where they are expected to remain for a year before being allowed to return home to Afghanistan.
President Barack Obama promised Tuesday that the U.S. will be keeping an eye on the Afghans' movements, but a Gulf official stated that the former inmates will be allowed to roam the country free.
Following the deal that freed Sgt Bergdahl, the last American soldier held in Afghanistan, concerns have been expressed by some U.S. intelligence officials and congressional advisers over the role of the Gulf Arab state as a bridge between Washington and the world of radical Islam.
The Gulf official said the Taliban men, who have been granted Qatari residency permits, will not be treated like prisoners while in Doha and no U.S. officials will be involved in monitoring their movement while in the country.
‘Under the deal they have to stay in Qatar for a year and then they will be allowed to travel outside the country... They can go back to Afghanistan if they want to,’ the official said.
Speaking during a press conference in Poland Tuesday, President Obama defended the prisoner swap, saying that the U.S. had an obligation not to leave any of its service members behind.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2648004/Revealed-White-House-steamrollered-Taliban-prisoners-release-exchange-kidnapped-soldier-ignored-secret-intelligence-showing-dangerous-set-free.html#ixzz33mQuDXIf
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