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Hagel Stands Up For ‘Tough Call’ To Trade Taliban Prisoners For Bergdahl

Hagel Stands Up For ‘Tough Call’ To Trade Taliban Prisoners For Bergdahl

By David S. Cloud, Tribune Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday defended the swapping of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban prisoners, insisting that the exchange was the “last, best chance” to get him back and did not violate a long-standing U.S. policy against negotiating with terrorists.

Hagel, in the first testimony to Congress on the controversial swap, dismissed Republican complaints that Congress was not informed about the prisoner swap ahead of time, calling it an “extraordinary situation” that required secrecy until after Bergdahl was handed over in eastern Afghanistan last month.

His appearance before the House Armed Services Committee comes after a week of questioning by lawmakers of both parties about the deal reached by the Obama administration for Bergdahl.

He remains at a U.S. military hospital in Germany undergoing counseling and is facing an investigation into whether he deserted his Army unit before he was taken prisoner.

In sometimes sharp exchanges with Hagel, Republicans on the panel argued that because Bergdahl was believed to be held by a terrorist organization, the deal to free him breached U.S. practice not to negotiate with terrorists.

Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., called the prisoner swap “deeply troubling” and “unprecedented” — a criticism echoed by several Republican lawmakers on the panel.

“How is it the United States could have been in negotiations with the Haqqani network, a listed terrorist organization, and it not conflict with our policy that we do not negotiate with terrorists?” asked Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio.

Hagel insisted that the U.S. had engaged only in “indirect negotiations” with Qatar acting as intermediary, and even then only with Taliban officials, not with members of the Haqqani group, which has close ties to Taliban leaders. It has carried out some of the most deadly attacks in Afghanistan in recent years.

“We didn’t negotiate with terrorists, Congressman,” he told Turner.

Pentagon general counsel Stephen Preston, testifying with Hagel, conceded that the Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan during the 1990s before being ousted in the 2001 U.S. invasion, is “not a conventional nation state” like those that held U.S. prisoners of war in past conflicts.

The deal to get Bergdahl “falls within the tradition of prisoners exchanged by opposing forces in time of war,” Preston said, citing the case of Army helicopter pilot Michael Durant, who was captured by Somali militants in 1993 in a battle in Mogadishu in which 18 U.S. soldiers were killed.

Durant was returned in a “quiet arrangement” with Somali warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid in which he was exchanged for Somalis captured by the U.S., Preston said.

But Turner challenged that account, citing news reports that quoted Aidid as saying Durant was released as a “goodwill gesture” and then-President Bill Clinton as denying there had been any deal.

Hagel conceded that the administration “could have done a better job” at keeping Congress informed about the negotiations to free Bergdahl, who had been held captive nearly five years after leaving his base in eastern Afghanistan without permission.

“We grew increasingly concerned that any delay, or any leaks, could derail the deal and further endanger Sgt. Bergdahl,” Hagel said. “We were told by the Qataris that a leak, any kind of leak, would end the negotiation for Bergdahl’s release.”

Members of both parties criticized the administration for not notifying Congress in advance of the prisoner transfer, with McKeon and others contending it violated a U.S. law requiring 30-day notification before any prisoner can be moved from Guantanamo.

Hagel insisted that the U.S. did not know until hours before Bergdahl was turned over that the Taliban intended to comply with the deal, making it impossible to comply with the 30-day requirement. In addition, Preston said, Department of Justice lawyers had assured them that Obama had the power to transfer the Taliban prisoners without notifying Congress ahead of time, citing his constitutional powers as commander in chief.

“We did not know until the moment Sgt. Bergdahl was handed over safely to U.S. Special Operations Forces that the Taliban would hold up their end of the deal,” Hagel said. “The president’s decision to move forward with the transfer of these detainees was a tough call. I supported it. I stand by it.”

Qatar has promised that the Taliban prisoners will be kept in that country for a year, but Hagel refused to go into further details about security assurances that the U.S. has received aimed at preventing them from threatening the U.S.

“If any of these detainees ever try to rejoin the fight, they would be doing so at their own peril. There’s always — always — some risk,” Hagel conceded.

Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT

White House Briefing Fails To Calm Bergdahl Storm

White House Briefing Fails To Calm Bergdahl Storm

By William Douglas and John Moritz, McClatchy Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration suggested Monday that the deal to swap five Taliban detainees for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could rekindle peace negotiations between the terrorist group and Afghan government.

The suggestion of a possible benefit from the deal came as the White House continued to work to quell the controversy over the deal and how the White House handled it. A private administration briefing for House members appeared to change few minds.

Those who supported the exchange, mostly Democrats, continued to support it. Lawmakers from both parties who opposed the deal continued to express concern about the precedent of the U.S. swapping five prisoners from a nonsovereign entity, and anger over House and Senate leaders being notified about the trade only after it had happened.

If anything, the briefing caused some lawmakers to become more upset after being told that 80 to 90 officials in the White House, Pentagon, State Department, and other agencies knew about the deal while key members of Congress didn’t.

“I think it’s part of an erosion of the relationship between Congress and the executive,” said Rep. Adam Smith, (D-WA), “I support the swap; I mean, the president made a very difficult decision, but I am concerned about the growing distance between the executive branch and Congress, and I think some consultation sooner would have been appropriate.”

Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) said the White House’s handling of Bergdahl’s release is “a pattern, and they need to learn that we actually matter under the Constitution.”

“It’s hard to trust this administration on anything they tell you,” Walden said.

Meanwhile, White House officials continued to defend the deal. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the swap could be a step in reinvigorating talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan’s government.

“If that paves the way, if that builds a little trust and creates some space to enhance or restart negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government and there’s a role for the United States and our coalition partners to play in that then we’ll welcome that opportunity and we’ll certainly consider it.”

The House members were briefed by Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken; Ambassador James Dobbins, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan; Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work; Adm. James Winnefeld, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Deputy Director of Intelligence Robert Cardillo.

Some House members said the administration officials were pressed for assurances that the five freed former Taliban leaders, who were dispatched from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar, wouldn’t return to the battlefield.

As in last week’s briefing for the Senate, administration officials showed House members a so-called proof of life video of Bergdahl made by the Taliban last January to show that he was alive.

Rep. Peter King (R-NY), a critic of the deal, said the video didn’t convince him that Bergdahl was in dire physical condition and thus n need of an immediate deal.

“I’m not a doctor, but to me, he well could have been drugged, sedated,” King said. “As far as being close to death, it didn’t seem that to me.”

The administration had defenders, mostly Democrats.

Rep. C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger (D-MD), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, left Monday’s meeting saying he understands why the White House was quiet about the deal.

“In this situation I can I understand this administration would not want to do it (tell Congress in advance),” he said. “Because of the information from the Taliban to Qatar that if there were any leaks whatsoever, the deal was off. And this would probably be the last opportunity to save his life.”

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Il) said she was “mystified and quite frankly disgusted that there has been a demonization” of Bergdahl.

“Sgt. Bergdahl has been discussed for a number of years with members of Congress …. This was something that was in the public domain, and so nothing was hidden except for a very sensitive operation that resulted, I think, (in) the perfect solution,” she said.

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) said she understood why the White House kept Capitol Hill out of the loop on the Bergdahl deal.

“I wouldn’t tell 435 people a secret either,” Slaughter said, referring to the House.

AFP Photo/Mandel Ngan

Kerry Says Five Released Taliban Risk Death If They Fight Again

Kerry Says Five Released Taliban Risk Death If They Fight Again

By Katherine Skiba, Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John F. Kerry, in his first remarks on the prisoner swap involving American soldier Bowe Bergdahl, warned Sunday that the five released Taliban leaders risk being killed by the United States if they re-enter the fight.

He spoke as reports emerged that Bergdahl, held for five years and released May 31, had been locked in a metal cage for long periods as punishment for trying to escape his captors.

Bergdahl’s release in exchange for five Guantanamo Bay detainees dominated the Sunday talk shows amid reports that the FBI was investigating death threats against Bergdahl’s family.

Kerry, talking about the prospect of the former Guantanamo prisoners returning to the battlefield, said: “I’m not telling you that they don’t have some ability at some point to go back and get involved, but they also have an ability to get killed doing that.”

Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” he said Qatar, where the Taliban leaders will live for one year, would be monitoring the men and that the U.S. would also keep an eye on them. Asked whether he meant the U.S. would kill them, he replied, “Nobody, no one should doubt the capacity of America to protect Americans.”

Sen. John McCain, who was held captive in Vietnam for more than five years, took issue with Kerry in a separate interview on the same program, saying that 30 percent of the detainees released from Guantanamo Bay had resumed fighting and “we certainly haven’t been able to kill all of them.”

“So what we’re doing here is … reconstituting the Taliban government, the same guys that are mass murderers,” said McCain, an Arizona Republican who was the 2008 GOP presidential nominee.

McCain said he had previously signed off on the outlines of a prisoner swap to retrieve Bergdahl, but not specifically the “top five picked by the Taliban.”

Asked whether reports that Bergdahl deserted his Army unit made him less worthy of rescue, McCain said no. But he added that the obligation to bring back captured military personnel had to be weighed against whether the effort “would put the lives of other American men and women who are serving in danger.”

“And in my view, this clearly would,” he said.

Top Senate Intelligence Committee officials, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said they had not been briefed by the Obama administration on Bergdahl being tortured or kept in a cage, allegations first reported Saturday on the New York Times website. Feinstein chairs the committee; its top Republican lawmaker, Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, echoed her.

Both said they had heard “rumors” that Bergdahl had tried to flee and both had concerns about the prisoner swap and what they saw as the administration’s lack of openness with congressional leaders. They spoke on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“What’s unfortunate is that I see no sign of the Taliban relenting,” Feinstein said. “And so some of us worry very much when we pull out (of Afghanistan), the Taliban finds its way back into power. And that would be tragic.”

David Rohde, who was abducted by the same Taliban faction as Bergdahl more than five years ago while on leave from The New York Times to write a book, said news reports about Bergdahl enduring harsh treatment sounded “very credible.”

Rohde, who also spoke on “Face the Nation,” escaped after being held hostage for eight months.

Now working for Reuters, he said Bergdahl needed to explain why he left his Army outpost, but cautioned that many rumors surrounded his own kidnapping in 2008. The journalist said he still regretted going to an interview with a Taliban official that led to his abduction near the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Of Bergdahl, Rohde said: “He will regret this for the rest of his life, I guarantee you.”

Rohde said he had spoken to Bergdahl’s parents, and alluded to the reports of death threats against them. “They are heartbroken by what’s been happening,” he said.

If any U.S. troops had died in the search for Bergdahl, “that would break their hearts as well,” he said.

©afp.com / Jacquelyn Martin

Obama Defends Swap Of Taliban Detainees For Army Sgt. Bergdahl

Obama Defends Swap Of Taliban Detainees For Army Sgt. Bergdahl

By Kathleen Hennessey and Christi Parsons, Tribune Washington Bureau

WARSAW — President Barack Obama defended his administration’s decision to trade Taliban detainees for the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on Tuesday, saying there wasn’t time to consult with Congress as he followed the “pretty sacred rule” that Americans don’t leave men and women in uniform behind on the field of battle.

Obama said his administration had been talking with Congress for “quite some time” about the possibility that they might need to execute a prisoner exchange in order to recover Bergdahl, who went missing in Afghanistan five years ago. Obama said he had to act quickly when the moment presented itself.

“We were concerned about Sgt. Bergdahl’s health. We had the cooperation of the Qataris to execute an exchange, and we seized the opportunity,” Obama said. “The process was truncated because we wanted to make sure we didn’t miss that window.”

Days after his release over the weekend, Bergdahl still hasn’t met with his family, Obama said, citing the lessons of the Vietnam era for that delay. Bergdahl is “obviously” not being interrogated as he undergoes tests and recovers from years of captivity with the Taliban, Obama said in dismissing questions about the circumstances of Bergdahl’s 2009 disappearance from his remote military outpost on the border of Pakistan.

The comments came shortly after Obama arrived in Poland on the first stop of his four-day European trip, a tour devoted mostly to conversations about the security of European allies and partners. In a news conference with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, Obama addressed the criticism back home about the circumstances of Bergdahl’s release and the release of five Taliban members from the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The release of the Taliban detainees came only after the Qatari government agreed it would be “keeping eyes on them and creating a structure in which we can monitor their activities,” Obama said. He acknowledged there is a possibility some of them could return to activities that threaten the U.S., but said that is true of all prisoners who have been released from Guantanamo over time.

“I wouldn’t be doing it if I thought it was contrary to American national security,” Obama said. “This is what happens at the end of wars,” he said, arguing the same was true for George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

“That’s been true of every combat situation,” he said, adding that, “at some point, you try to get your folks back.”

Regardless of Bergdahl’s circumstances, “whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American soldier back if he’s held in captivity — period, full stop,” he said. “We don’t condition that. That’s what every mom and dad who sees a son or daughter sent over into war theater should expect — not just from their commander in chief, but also from the United States of America.”

AFP Photo