The prisoner swap that freed soldier Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for Taliban detainees ignited criticism after the insurgents´ leader declared a “big victory”, but also raised hopes for peace as the US prepares to leave Afghanistan.
Washington has defended the exchange as critical to saving Bergdahl´s life, as his health had deteriorated sharply after five years spent as the only US soldier held captive by the Taliban since the war began in 2001.But the exchange announced Saturday was criticised by Republican lawmakers, who said the five Taliban prisoners, all senior figures held at the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, could return to the battlefield and pose a threat to Americans abroad.
Senator John McCain, who was himself a prisoner of war in Vietnam, called them the “hardest of the hard core” and said it was “disturbing that these individuals would have the ability to re-enter the fight”. And Afghanistan´s foreign ministry branded the deal as illegal, saying it contravened international law which prohibits handing over prisoners to a third country. (Qatar)
Mullah Mohammad Omar, the spiritual leader of the Taliban, issued a rare statement praising the release of the Guantanamo five as a “big victory”, and congratulating “all the mujahideen”.
