I'm not sure what you mean by Guantanamo blowback. If the prisoners were held in an Afghan jail or an American supermax in Colorado they could still do this. They are already kidnapping civilians and holding them for ransom, using them to negotiate the release of prisoners, and sometimes just killing them for sport.
Just watched a special the other day about journalists being traded for prisoners in Afghan jails.
Its a great strategy, if we refuse to deal, then they lay the blame at our feet for the beheading. Wouldn't work on a determined foe but could work on one that wasn't all that determined, and looking for an excuse to exit the theater.
Unless we don't reveal at all who we have, which was our policy at one time. They didn't know who we had in the early days, and it made it impossible to do what they are now threatening to do.
Hi marron.
Post 1 was the reference point for where I went with my links.
Read post no. 2 or just read the text in bold on this thread for a total word picture for this thread.