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Post by 101ABN on May 31, 2014 9:53:31 GMT -8
Bowe Bergdahl, an Army sergeant held by the Taliban since 2009, was released Saturday, U.S. officials told NBC News. Bergdahl, 28, was freed from Afghanistan — in exchange for five prisoners who were held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center — and is back in the hands of the U.S. military, the officials said. Bergdahl disappeared when he reportedly walked away from a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan in June 2009, carrying only a compass and a bottle of water. He was the only U.S. service member ever to be held captive by enemy forces in Afghanistan. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bowe-bergdahl-army-sergeant-held-taliban-2009-released-n119271 |
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Post by Sailor on May 31, 2014 18:24:58 GMT -8
While I am happy for him and his family, I am concerned in that exchanging 5 terrorists for SGT Bergdahl sets a precident that the Taliban and AQ will exploit.
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Post by 101ABN on May 31, 2014 19:02:57 GMT -8
Obama will just release them all before he leaves office.
That will fool them.
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Post by 101ABN on May 31, 2014 19:04:25 GMT -8
From WaPo...
Amid jubilation Saturday over the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from captivity by the Taliban, senior Republicans on Capitol Hill said they were troubled by the means by which it was accomplished, which was a deal to release five Afghan detainees from the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Top Republicans on the Senate and House armed services committees went so far as to accuse President Obama of having broken the law, which requires the administration to notify Congress before any transfers from Guantanamo are carried out.
“Trading five senior Taliban leaders from detention in Guantanamo Bay for Bergdahl’s release may have consequences for the rest of our forces and all Americans. Our terrorist adversaries now have a strong incentive to capture Americans. That incentive will put our forces in Afghanistan and around the world at even greater risk,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. McKeon (R-Calif.) and the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, James M. Inhofe (Okla.), said in a joint statement.
Lawmakers were not notified of the Guantanamo detainees’ transfer until after it occurred. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bergdahl-release-arrangement-could-threaten-the-safety-of-americans-republicans-say/2014/05/31/35e47a2a-e8ff-11e3-afc6-a1dd9407abcf_print.html |
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Post by Sailor on Jun 1, 2014 5:48:05 GMT -8
For some reason I am not surprised that the law was not followed by this administration. If the law is inconvenient or runs counter to their goals they simply ignore it.
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Post by Sailor on Jun 1, 2014 5:59:24 GMT -8
Unfortunately, America is not the only party in this war that is committed to leaving no man behind. So are the Taliban and other al Qaeda-linked groups. But the president did not say who America exchanged for Bergdahl: five of the most dangerous Taliban commanders in U.S. custody. Mullah Mohammad Fazl (Taliban army chief of staff): Fazl is “wanted by the UN for possible war crimes including the murder of thousands of Shiites.” Mullah Norullah Noori (senior Taliban military commander): Like Fazl, Noori is “wanted by the United Nations (UN) for possible war crimes including the murder of thousands of Shiite Muslims." Abdul Haq Wasiq (Taliban deputy minister of intelligence): Wasiq arranged for al Qaeda members to provide crucial intelligence training prior to 9/11. Khairullah Khairkhwa (Taliban governor of the Herat province and former interior minister): Khairkhwa was the governor of Afghanistan’s westernmost province prior to 9/11. In that capacity, he executed sensitive missions for Mullah Omar, including helping to broker a secret deal with the Iranians. Mohammed Nabi (senior Taliban figure and security official): Nabi “was a senior Taliban official who served in multiple leadership roles.” Nabi “had strong operational ties to Anti-Coalition Militia (ACM) groups including al Qaeda, the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG), some of whom remain active in ACM activities.” From www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/five-most-dangerous-taliban-commanders-us-custody-released-pow-exchange_794017.html?page=2I suspect I know why Congress wasn't notified, they would not go along with the deal and would likely move to spike it once they learned who was going home. And I think you are absolutely correct 101, Zero is going to close Gitmo by sending each and every prisoner there home INCLUDING (I think) Kalide Sheik Mohammad. |
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Post by tankcommander on Jun 1, 2014 7:09:15 GMT -8
OK, you guys know that I love my brothers, and sisters in arms as much as anybody.
But, this guy wandered away from his unit under questionable circumstances..... And now we find ourselves kissing the Taliban's ass because of it.
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Post by 101ABN on Jun 1, 2014 10:27:18 GMT -8
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Post by Sailor on Jun 1, 2014 11:48:41 GMT -8
No chance of either happening 101, just as there is no chance of Zero being called for yet another illegal act.
If as Hagel claims, the SGT's health was the primary reason for moving quickly, the "notification of Congress" could easily have taken the form of a meeting with House and Senate leadership just as has happened in the past. Presto! Congress is notified and if there is clear evidence that waiting the mandated 30 days places Bergdahl's health at risk then that part of the law could be waived, probably with the blessings of both party's leadership.
No, this was a backroom backdoor move by an administration that couldn't do anything the right and legal way no matter important the issue.
There was a comment on another forum that Zero issued a "signing statement" that said (in so many words) that he would ignore this law if it suited his purposes. I've never liked signing statements by ANY President that changes laws or parts of laws, I think they are as illegal and unconstitutional as an Executive Order that changes or orders laws that the President doesn't like to be ignored.
To many of his supporters, anything he does is all hunky dory with them. They'll put on their short skirts, pickup pompoms and cheer him on. He could issue an Executive Order saying the murder of red haired, left handed people is legal and many of them would support it.
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Post by tankcommander on Jun 1, 2014 13:09:01 GMT -8
Think Hagel will have him tried for desertion? How about treason? Nope..... To the contrary, The administration will try and make him look like almost as big a hero as they are for getting him released. |
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Post by Sailor on Jun 1, 2014 15:54:37 GMT -8
Agreed TC.
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Post by 101ABN on Jun 1, 2014 18:45:03 GMT -8
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Post by 101ABN on Jun 1, 2014 19:40:23 GMT -8
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Post by Sailor on Jun 2, 2014 4:04:58 GMT -8
“The sacrifice of our Mujahedin have resulted in the release of our senior leaders from the hand of the enemy.”
We should have hanged them when we had the chance. Hopefully the next time we see them will be either through a sniper scope or TV images from a Hellfire seekerhead.
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Post by 101ABN on Jun 2, 2014 6:07:43 GMT -8
No doubt they'll kill Americans again.
The real question is what will Bergdahl do?
After his White House reception, of course.
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