The Taliban Five were long-term Afghan detainees at Guantanamo Bay and formerly high-ranking members of the Taliban government of Afghanistan who were exchanged for United States Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl.[1][2] The Taliban Five were released to custody in Doha, Qatar on June 1, 2014.
The Taliban Five are described as the "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".[3]
For several years, there were rumors that President Barack Obama's negotiations with the Taliban hinged on the release of these five men.[4][5][6][7] The Taliban wanted the men to be sent to Qatar. The United States was reportedly considering freeing them if the Taliban would release Bowe Bergdahl.[8] 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:[9][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.[4] 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.[13]
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.[14] 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.[15] A portion of an edited video of Bergdahl's handover released by 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.[16]
According to Time, Pentagon officials and 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.[17]
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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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]. |