Posted on 09/08/2012 10:09:30 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
A U.S. soldier held by Afghan militants will not be harmed despite the Obama administration's decision to declare his alleged captors a terrorist group, a senior member of the Pakistan-based Haqqani network told The Associated Press on Saturday. However, the United States and NATO can expect stepped up attacks, he said.
The commander, who spoke by telephone from an undisclosed location, denied that the Haqqanis held the only American prisoner of war of the Afghan conflict, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, as the U.S. believes. He did however say that Bergdahl was a captive of another branch of the Taliban, and denied earlier reports that the 26-year-old soldier from Hailey, Idaho, was in danger.
"I deny the remarks . . . that this will endanger the life of the American soldier," the commander said, speaking on condition he not be identified because field commanders fear being targeted if their identities are known.
"We are not cowards and we consider it as coward to harm prisoners," he said.
The U.S. says that Bergdahl has been held by the Pakistan-based Haqqanis since 2009. However, the commander suggested he was with militants on the other side of the Afghan-Pakistan border.
"The American soldier is with the Emirate center (a reference to Taliban based inside Afghanistan) . . . The Americans also know it."
He said the Taliban leadership council previously issued instructions to its commanders, including those belonging to the Haqqani network, not to harm prisoners.
From his home in Idaho, the soldier's father Bob Bergdahl welcomed the assurances but was cautious. "That's great news, but we're very careful about the information we digest," he told the AP. "I'll have to validate that and check that."
The elder Bergdahl said the commander's promise not to mistreat prisoners "was the position of the Emirate even before my son was taken prisoner."
Yet the Haqqani commander said the network is planning a series of retaliatory attacks against U.S. and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the organization's military commander, is seeking permission from Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar to stage a blitzkrieg of attacks against U.S. forces in Afghanistan, he said.
"He (Sirajuddin Haqqani) wants to carry out 80 to 100 attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan and 20 attacks on other NATO members," said the commander in retaliation for the designation. He repeated earlier statements that the Haqqani network answered to Mullah Omar and was not separate from the Taliban organization.
But once Mullah Omar signs off on the actions, the commander said, "we have our consultative and military council which plans attacks."
The commander claimed that the Obama administration had been in touch with the Haqqani network last year as part of its efforts to broker a peace deal ahead of the withdrawal of U.S. military troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
"(U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham) Clinton should have the courage to tell the Americans about their contacts and even talks with us," he said.
Congress insisted Clinton deliver a report on whether the Haqqanis should be designated a terrorist organization by Sunday after a string of high profile attacks on U.S. and NATO troops.
The U.S. had resisted the terrorist designation because of fears it could jeopardize reconciliation efforts between the U.S. government and insurgents in Afghanistan.
Thanks Jet Jaguar.
This is like the invisible POW, did anyone figure out what the truth is on this guy?
Just off memory. He was captured after drinking some home made wine. He later escaped and was recaptured. He is still fighting.
The wine, as far as I know was never proved publicly - but based on some pretty good hearsay.
He'd have been home a long time ago if he'd just have done his job.
Liberalism is a mental disorder involving skittle and crack induced unicorn hallucinations.
We should rename Hillary’s state department “Fantasy Island.”
We have nothing to worry about:
Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy. That’s critical.
- Joe Biden (the Intellect of the Democratic Party)
Interesting that even as early as this Bob Bergdahl dignifies the Haqnnis with the formal title of "emirate."
Pretty good wine it must have been to induce him to send his belongings and computer back home in advance of walking out... of course this is at a time the platoon and others in the know were silenced under a gag order so that must not have come from someone who was there.
Good find Piasa.
I searched and could not find it.
Bergdahl ping from Sept 2012.
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