U.S. soldier free after almost five years captivity in Afghanistan

Reuters ^ | May 31, 2014 | By Bill Trott

[Oldeconomybuyer]

U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, held for nearly five years by the Taliban, is now in U.S. custody, President Barack Obama said on Saturday.

As part of Bergdahl's release, the United States is turning over five Taliban detainees at the U.S. facility in Guantanamo, Cuba, to the custody of Qatar, U.S. officials said.

Bergdahl's freedom follows months of indirect U.S.-Taliban talks with Qatar acting as intermediary, the officials said.

[Sarah Barracuda]

This was Obama’s original plan with Benghazi, to swap the blind sheikh for Stevens, but something went wrong and the rest is history..Obama always does everything in the best interest for HIMSELF to make himself look good..I am glad this US Soldier is released he had been in captivity for 5 years just strange that this would happen now..guess Obama needed something to take the focus off the VA scandal

[TomGuy]

5:1

Sounds like an even trade.

[minnesota_bound]

More then likely these former prisoners will be killed off either by their own or by our missiles. War is a constant with them.

[CWW]

It’s not just 5 GITMO detainees. It is 5 of the MOST senior GITMO detainees!

[CWW]

That being said, I am happy for this soldier and his family. 5 years is very long time.

[Rockpile]

Since this is coming out on a Saturday morning it may be that The Sultan does not want too much publicity about releasing these five.

[DoughtyOne]

I agree.  Five years is a long time to be in fear each day may be your last.

Time served your honor...


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[Sarah Barracuda]

Yeah at first on Fox News they did not report that this was a swap, just that he had been released, and I am thrilled because he has been in captivity for SO long..but after hearing Obama was involved I knew something smelled rotten and I guess now we know why, it was a swap..all this “We don’t leave men behind” is such BS from Obama, this is the same guy that allowed FOUR men to be slaughtered in Benghazi so he could get a Blind Sheikh deal to make him look good

[Rockpile]

Should add that a telltale would be how much attention Big News gives to the release. Our slavemasters who plan and co-ordinate the weekly news accounts may downplay it. Have to wait and see.

[Rockpile]

I had never really considered that angle on that the Libya killings but, yeah, what a great leader he would have been in negotiating a “rescue” trade just prior to the 2012 elections.

[Hoodat]

Sounds to me that this Administration has let this guy remain in captivity for a long while, saving him until a time where they needed some good PR. Some time in this past week, a meeting was held in the White House to come up with ways to save the President's approval ratings. And in this meeting, someone stepped forward and said something like:

"Hey, we could always get the Taliban to release that prisoner they have been holding for the last five years. We were already planning on releasing five prisoners from Gitmo next month anyway. Give the Taliban a call and get them to agree to exchange Sergeant Whats-his-name for the Gitmo freedom fighters plus two or three million in cash. Just don't say anything to the press about the cash."

[Sarah Barracuda]

I had heard rumors weeks before Benghazi about how they were going to release the Blind Sheikh since Libya wanted him back. I remember a few reporters asked the state department if those rumors were true and it wasn’t a total denial, more like a half ass denial so I knew something was up..when Benghazi happened I knew that the swap didn’t go as planned. I think it was originally a Blind Sheikh for Stevens swap, but the Admin didnt expect the other three men to appear, when they did they just said F it and let them die..I know many have discounted that theory but I still believe thats how it might have gone down

[Oldeconomybuyer]

‘Dude’, great idea. Run it upstairs to Valerie to get her approval.

[TexasCajun]

When the released terrorists return to jihad and murder again and again how will Obama justify the swap?

I'm sure the soldier and his family are happy to be reunited, but I'm not sure this was the best route.

Obama has made a deal with the devil, how many terrorist are still in Gitmo?

Obama just told the world their price.

[Wolfie]

Do you really think the future of terrorism rests on these five? A shame you couldn’t have volunteered to swap places with our soldier to keep them in Gitmo.

[hal ogen]

I hope the released soldier avoids treatment at the VA. They might kill him through neglect.

[wintertime]

...Or on purpose.

[TexasCajun]

What I'm saying is Obama has put a price on the Gitmo terrorists & that price is an American hostage or hostages, military or civilian.

[TexasCajun]

It could play out that Obama swapped a deserter for 5 High-Profile, High-Risk terrorist.

And there were nagging questions about the circumstances of Bergdahl’s captivity. How Bergdahl came to leave his base in Afghanistan has never been clear, and some have suggested he should be treated as a deserter, not a captive.

Rolling Stone cited emails in which Bergdahl told his parents he was “ashamed to even be American” and had lost faith in the mission. He also hinted at desertion, according to the report, and mailed home boxes of personal belongings such as uniforms and books. Bergdahl reportedly wrote that the “future is too good to waste on lies.”

While joy over Bergdahl’s release permeated military forums on social media, there was also an undercurrent of uncertainty _ and, at times, outright disdain _ over the cloudy circumstances of his capture.

“It’s called desertion, you don’t celebrate it,” went one tweet typical of the more skeptical camp. Another said Bergdahl should “stand trial for desertion, insubordination, and treason – men were killed searching for him.”