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|quote = The Obama Administration is pursuing peace talks with the Taliban, and as a goodwill gesture it has been leaking the news that it may pre-emptively release five of their leaders held at Guantanamo. |
|quote = The Obama Administration is pursuing peace talks with the Taliban, and as a goodwill gesture it has been leaking the news that it may pre-emptively release five of their leaders held at Guantanamo. |
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|archiveurl = https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.andyworthington.co.uk%2F2012%2F03%2F23%2Fthe-taliban-five-and-the-forgotten-afghan-prisoners-in-guantanamo%2F&date=2013-08-14 |
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|author = M K Bhadrakumar |
|author = M K Bhadrakumar |
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|archivedate = 2012-01-11 |
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|archiveurl = https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.atimes.com%2Fatimes%2FSouth_Asia%2FNA12Df01.html&date=2012-01-11 |
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|author = [[Carol Rosenberg]] |
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|archiveurl = https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.miamiherald.com%2F2012%2F03%2F10%2F2688491%2Ftaliban-prisoners-at-guantanamo.html&date=2012-03-12 |
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|quote = If the president pursues this strategy, though, he will need support from wary politicians in Congress, our correspondent says. Many there see a transfer of what they call the most dangerous inmates at Guantanamo as a step too far, he adds. |
|quote = If the president pursues this strategy, though, he will need support from wary politicians in Congress, our correspondent says. Many there see a transfer of what they call the most dangerous inmates at Guantanamo as a step too far, he adds. |
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|author = Hamid Shalizi |
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|archivedate = 2012-03-12 |
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|archiveurl = https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fin.reuters.com%2Farticle%2F2012%2F03%2F10%2Fafghanistan-guantanamo-taliban-idINDEE82905620120310&date=2012-03-12 |
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|archiveurl = https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.weeklystandard.com%2Fblogs%2Ftaliban-five-guantanamo_736892.html&date=2013-08-14 |
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|quote = Shortly after opening its political office in Doha, Qatar earlier this week, the Taliban floated the idea of exchanging U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been in captivity since 2009, for the top five Taliban leaders in U.S. custody at Guantanamo. The offer, which has been a longstanding Taliban demand, was first reported by the Associated Press. |
|quote = Shortly after opening its political office in Doha, Qatar earlier this week, the Taliban floated the idea of exchanging U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been in captivity since 2009, for the top five Taliban leaders in U.S. custody at Guantanamo. The offer, which has been a longstanding Taliban demand, was first reported by the Associated Press. |
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==Taliban Five prisoner exchange== |
==Taliban Five prisoner exchange== |
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Over the years, there were several premature reports of some or all of the men being transferred. On January 10, 2012, [[Iran]]ian news sources asserted three of the five men had been transferred, in return for Bergdahl.<ref name=AsiaTimes2012-01-20/> On July 29, 2013, ''[[Ynetnews]]'' reported that the USA had already released the five men as a goodwill gesture without insisting on the Taliban in turn releasing Bergdahl.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4411028,00.html| title=US releases prisoners from Guantanamo: US government releases five prisoners from infamous detention camp as gesture ahead of talks with Taliban| publisher=''[[Ynetnews]]''| author=Orly Azoulay| date=2013-07-29| accessdate=2013-08-14| archivedate=2013-08-14| archiveurl= |
Over the years, there were several premature reports of some or all of the men being transferred. On January 10, 2012, [[Iran]]ian news sources asserted three of the five men had been transferred, in return for Bergdahl.<ref name=AsiaTimes2012-01-20/> On July 29, 2013, ''[[Ynetnews]]'' reported that the USA had already released the five men as a goodwill gesture without insisting on the Taliban in turn releasing Bergdahl.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4411028,00.html| title=US releases prisoners from Guantanamo: US government releases five prisoners from infamous detention camp as gesture ahead of talks with Taliban| publisher=''[[Ynetnews]]''| author=Orly Azoulay| date=2013-07-29| accessdate=2013-08-14| archivedate=2013-08-14| archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ynetnews.com%2Farticles%2F0%2C7340%2CL-4411028%2C00.html&date=2013-08-14| deadurl=yes| df=}}</ref> |
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On May 31, 2014, following negotiations coordinated by the [[government of Qatar]], the five detainees were exchanged for Bergdahl, who was thought to be the last remaining American [[prisoner of war]].<ref>{{cite web|title=US soldier Bowe Bergdahl freed by Taliban in Afghanistan|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27651690|date=31 May 2014|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=1 June 2014}}</ref> The Taliban five were taken from [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Bay]] and flown by a [[C-17 Globemaster III]] to Qatar, where they were required to remain for a year as a condition of their release. They arrived in Qatar on June 1, 2014.<ref name="FazlRelease">{{cite news|title=American soldier held captive in Afghanistan is now free|url=http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/bowe-bergdahl-released|accessdate=1 June 2014|publisher=[[MSNBC]]}}</ref> A portion of an [[Video editing|edited video]] of Bergdahl's handover released by the [[Taliban]] on June 4, 2014, shows the homecoming of the prisoners in an unknown location in Qatar where a [[Convoy|caravan]] of [[Sport utility vehicle|SUVs]] pulls over alongside a busy stretch of road with the former prisoners exiting and hugging their supporters. The video portion was mixed with joyful [[Jihadism|Jihadi]] song.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/04/politics/bowe-bergdahl-release/index.html |title=Taliban video shows Bowe Bergdahl's release in Afghanistan - CNN.com |publisher=Edition.cnn.com |date= |accessdate=2014-06-06}}</ref> In late-May 2015, the travel ban was extended while negotiations continue between Qatar and the United States.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Qatar Extends Travel Ban for Taliban Leaders Released from Guantanamo |url=http://www.voanews.com/content/qatar-extends-travel-ban-for-taliban-released-from-guantanamo/2802593.html |newspaper=Voice of America |date=31 May 2015 |access-date=5 June 2015 }}</ref> |
On May 31, 2014, following negotiations coordinated by the [[government of Qatar]], the five detainees were exchanged for Bergdahl, who was thought to be the last remaining American [[prisoner of war]].<ref>{{cite web|title=US soldier Bowe Bergdahl freed by Taliban in Afghanistan|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27651690|date=31 May 2014|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=1 June 2014}}</ref> The Taliban five were taken from [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Bay]] and flown by a [[C-17 Globemaster III]] to Qatar, where they were required to remain for a year as a condition of their release. They arrived in Qatar on June 1, 2014.<ref name="FazlRelease">{{cite news|title=American soldier held captive in Afghanistan is now free|url=http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/bowe-bergdahl-released|accessdate=1 June 2014|publisher=[[MSNBC]]}}</ref> A portion of an [[Video editing|edited video]] of Bergdahl's handover released by the [[Taliban]] on June 4, 2014, shows the homecoming of the prisoners in an unknown location in Qatar where a [[Convoy|caravan]] of [[Sport utility vehicle|SUVs]] pulls over alongside a busy stretch of road with the former prisoners exiting and hugging their supporters. The video portion was mixed with joyful [[Jihadism|Jihadi]] song.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/04/politics/bowe-bergdahl-release/index.html |title=Taliban video shows Bowe Bergdahl's release in Afghanistan - CNN.com |publisher=Edition.cnn.com |date= |accessdate=2014-06-06}}</ref> In late-May 2015, the travel ban was extended while negotiations continue between Qatar and the United States.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Qatar Extends Travel Ban for Taliban Leaders Released from Guantanamo |url=http://www.voanews.com/content/qatar-extends-travel-ban-for-taliban-released-from-guantanamo/2802593.html |newspaper=Voice of America |date=31 May 2015 |access-date=5 June 2015 }}</ref> |
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The Taliban Five were long-term Afghan detainees at Guantanamo Bay and formerly high-ranking members of the Taliban government of Afghanistan who, after being held indefinitely without charges, were exchanged for United States Army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl.[1][2] For several years there were rumors that the Obama Presidency's negotiations with the Taliban hinged over the release of these men.[3][4][5][6] The Taliban wanted the men to be sent to Qatar. The United States was reported to be considering freeing them, if the Taliban would release Bowe Bergdahl, a soldier the Taliban had been holding since 2009.[7] The Taliban Five were released to custody in Doha, Qatar on June 1, 2014.
The Taliban Five are described as "the hardest of the hard-core" by John McCain and James Franklin Jeffrey. All five are deemed "high" risk to the United States and were recommended for "continued detention".[8]This reverses a position McCain held only four months earlier. McCain said his stance has changed only because the previous proposal was to release five “hard-core” Taliban leaders as a “confidence-building measure.” The current proposal would be an actual exchange of prisoners. “I would be inclined to support such a thing, depending on a lot of details,” he said.[9]
The Wall Street Journal described the identity of the five men as an "open secret", since members of Congress had been briefed on the negotiations.[1]
The Taliban Five are listed as very dangerous men.[8][10][11][12] Kate Clark, formerly of the BBC News, challenged other western reporters for merely repeating allegations found in the Guantanamo documents, without noting that they were based on rumors, innuendo, and confessions and denunciations triggered by torture.[13]
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According to US intelligence officials, Abdul Haq Wasiq was deputy chief of the Taliban regime's intelligence service. Wasiq had direct access to Taliban and Hezb-e-Islarni Gulbuddin leaders, and was "central to the Taliban’s efforts to form alliances with other Islamic fundamentalist groups to fight alongside the Taliban against US and Coalition forces after the 11 September 2001 attacks".[8][10][11][12] |
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According to US intelligence officials, Norullah Noori served as the governor of Balkh and Laghman provinces in the Taliban regime. He was a senior Taliban military commander in Mazar-e-Sharif. Noori is "wanted by the United Nations for possible war crimes including the murder of thousands of Shiite Muslims" along with Fazl. According to Barnett Rubin, they were "responsible for ethno-sectarian massacres in northern Afghanistan" along with their enemies.[8][10][11][12] The Times of Oman described Norullah Nori as " the most controversial" of the five.[14] |
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According to US intelligence officials, Mohammad Fazl served as Chief of Staff of the Taliban Army. He was associated with terrorist groups opposing US and Coalition forces. According to documents from the Joint Task Force Guantánamo, Fazl is "wanted by the UN for possible War crimes including the murder of thousands of Shiites". The document stated Fazl has become a recruiting symbol for the Taliban.[8][10][11][12] |
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According to US intelligence officials, Khairullah Khairkhwa was the interior minister under the Taliban. He helped found the Taliban in 1994. He was directly associated with Osama Bin Laden and Taliban Supreme Commander Mullah Muhammad Omar. Likely involved with militant training, he was also "a narcotics trafficker and probably used his position and influences to become one of the major opium drug lords in Western Afghanistan", and probably used profits from drugs to promote Taliban interests.[8][10][11][12] The Times of Oman described Khairkhwa as a "relative moderate".[14] Kate Clark, who interviewed Khairkhwa in September 2000, described him as a moderate, and an educated man, who governed Herat with a surprising level of tolerance.[13] |
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According to US intelligence officials, Mohammad Nabi Omari was the Taliban's chief of communications. Nabi had "operational ties to Anti-Coalition Militia (ACM) groups including al-Qaida, the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin". He also "maintained weapons caches and facilitated the smuggling of fighters and weapons".[8][10][11][12] |
Over the years, there were several premature reports of some or all of the men being transferred. On January 10, 2012, Iranian news sources asserted three of the five men had been transferred, in return for Bergdahl.[3] On July 29, 2013, Ynetnews reported that the USA had already released the five men as a goodwill gesture without insisting on the Taliban in turn releasing Bergdahl.[15]
On May 31, 2014, following negotiations coordinated by the government of Qatar, the five detainees were exchanged for Bergdahl, who was thought to be the last remaining American prisoner of war.[16] The Taliban five were taken from Guantanamo Bay and flown by a C-17 Globemaster III to Qatar, where they were required to remain for a year as a condition of their release. They arrived in Qatar on June 1, 2014.[17] A portion of an edited video of Bergdahl's handover released by the Taliban on June 4, 2014, shows the homecoming of the prisoners in an unknown location in Qatar where a caravanofSUVs pulls over alongside a busy stretch of road with the former prisoners exiting and hugging their supporters. The video portion was mixed with joyful Jihadi song.[18] In late-May 2015, the travel ban was extended while negotiations continue between Qatar and the United States.[19]
According to Time, Pentagon officials and the intelligence community had successfully fought off releasing the Taliban Five in the past; President Barack Obama's move to release the prisoners was described as a "victory" for those at the White House and the State Department who had argued against the military.[20]
In January 2015 several commentators repeated assertions that US officials who insisted on anonymity had said that one of the five men had tried to contact the Haqqani faction, from Qatar. These commentators, citing this anonymous report, asserted that at least one of the five men was a "recidivist". On February 2, 2014 the Oman Tribune quoted Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah Qatar’s Foreign Minister denials of these reports.[21] Attiya assured the public that Omani and US officials were cooperating in monitoring that the men were complying with the terms of the agreement that allowed them to travel to Qatar, and there had been no sign that any of the men had taken any steps that would violate that agreement.
The Obama Administration is pursuing peace talks with the Taliban, and as a goodwill gesture it has been leaking the news that it may pre-emptively release five of their leaders held at Guantanamo.
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Nevertheless, Iranian media insist that three high-ranking Taliban leaders have been released - Mullah Khairkhawa, former interior minister; Mullah Noorullah Noori, a former governor; and Mullah Fazl Akhund, the Taliban's chief of army staff - in exchange for an American soldier held by the Taliban.
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Five top Taliban leaders held by the U.S. in the Guantánamo Bay military prison told a visiting Afghan delegation they agree to a proposed transfer to the tiny Gulf state of Qatar, opening the door for a possible move aimed at bringing the Taliban into peace talks, Afghan officials said Saturday.
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If the president pursues this strategy, though, he will need support from wary politicians in Congress, our correspondent says. Many there see a transfer of what they call the most dangerous inmates at Guantanamo as a step too far, he adds.
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Karzai's top aide, Ibrahim Spinzada, visited the Guantanamo facility this week to secure approval from the five Taliban prisoners to be moved to Qatar.
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Shortly after opening its political office in Doha, Qatar earlier this week, the Taliban floated the idea of exchanging U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been in captivity since 2009, for the top five Taliban leaders in U.S. custody at Guantanamo. The offer, which has been a longstanding Taliban demand, was first reported by the Associated Press.
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Unlike many Taleban, he was comfortable speaking to a foreigner and, very unusually, happy to be interviewed in Persian (most Taleban would only speak Pashto at the time). Herat, where he was the governor, was noticeably more relaxed than Kabul, Mazar or Kandahar: I filmed openly in the city (then an illegal act), the economy was reasonably buoyant and women came up to chat – a very rare occurrence.
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"It's totally false," Attiya said. "They are living according to the agreement we signed with the United States."
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Guantanamo Bay Naval Base detainees by nationality
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|---|---|
| Africa |
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| Americas |
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| Asia and Oceania |
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| Europe |
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Total of 790 detainees, according to the Guantanamo Docket[1]. | |
