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US Mulls Handing Taliban Guantanamo Detainee to Afghan Govt
[Tolo News] The US may hand over one of the Taliban inmates currently held at its military prison Guantanamo Bay to Afghan authorities, Rooters reported Wednesday, a move welcomed by Afghan officials.In an effort to resume talks, the US government is again using Taliban detainees in its military prison in Cuba as an incentive to coax the Taliban into direct peace negotiations with the Afghan government, a US source told Rooters. Sources familiar with the preliminary discussions said the former Taliban regional governor named Khairullah Khairkhwa may be sent to Afghan government custody as an initial gesture meant to revive diplomacy. Khairkhwan is seen by American officials as less dangerous than other senior Taliban detainees now held at the US military prison in Cuba, Rooters said. Afghan High Peace Council foreign relations adviser Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar welcomed the news saying such an act could help start talks again. "We believe that such efforts could help in creating mutual trust between the Afghan government and the Taliban," Qasimyar said. He also added that Khairkhawa, who is understood to have served as the Taliban's interior minister, has previously shown an interest in quitting violence and coming to negotiation table. "I think they [US] will release and transfer him to Afghanistan," he added. In February last year, President Hamid Maybe I'll join the TalibanKarzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtunface on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... demanded Khairkhawa's release. Peace talks between the US and the Taliban began years ago but have not reached the desired results. In the recent efforts, the US tried to establish a political liaison office for Taliban in Qatar, which was strongly criticized by the Afghan government it the beginning. Part of the deal was to transfer five former Taliban officials from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar authority. Later the Afghan government supported the establishment of the Taliban office in Qatar, and based on some reports, initial moves are underway. However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... the Taliban publicly exited the talks in March, claiming the US had reneged on agreements. Posted by: Fred 2012-04-26 |
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