Even Al-Jazeera has problems with release of Taliban War Criminals:
To add insult to injury, on May 31, five high-ranking Taliban members incarcerated at Guantanamo on a variety of charges, including mass killings, were set free in exchange for one US soldier, allegedly a deserter. The question on the minds of the Afghan people now is: Whatever happened to the US policy of “we will not negotiate with terrorists”.
In February, 65 prisoners were released from the high-security Bagram detention centre, in spite of US protests. The men were allegedly responsible for the deaths of Afghan civilians and coalition troops. Afghan President Hamid Karzai claimed there was not enough evidence against them, but the US called the move “regrettable”.
If the US found the release of these 65 detainees so unpalatable, how could it have freed five of the Taliban’s most dangerous leaders last week, who will now live in luxurious Qatar?
One of the so-called “Guantanamo Five” is Mullah Fazl, who has been described as “vicious and violent”. In 1999, he was one of the senior Taliban commanders who were accused of overseeing the destruction of an area near Kabul called Shamali. Fazl allegedly supervised the burning of villages and other atrocities, including rape. On my visit to the area, I witnessed the scale of the destruction, and a local commander told me how over 300,000 villagers were chased out during Fazl’s campaign.
We applaud the US policy of not leaving any soldier behind. But does this policy apply to one who allegedly deserts his post and walks off into the night into known enemy territory? What about the six brave soldiers who - according to CNN - lost their lives looking for the alleged deserter? Do their lives not count in the grand scheme of things? And what about the multitude of Afghans who have been murdered by these five men and their followers?
The US statement that these five men will not be allowed to leave Qatar for one year is hard to stomach. They may not venture out of Qatar, because they will be under strict surveillance, but they will be free to move around the country as they wish.
They will be free to meet with their families and use couriers to direct operations against the Afghan government and us. They have other ways to communicate with their people. There is no solace in restricting their movements to within Qatar. They are generals who can direct hostile actions against us no matter where they are physically located. And their release boosts the morale of our enemies.