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Qatar may prove comfy for Bergdahl Five | ||||||
2014-06-09 | ||||||
There has been an outcry from critics of the prisoner swap, who worry that these men with blood on their hands are getting off far too easily. Qatar's citizens are the richest in the world, per capita, but only a minority of residents here are actually citizens and the Taliban five are not among them. We do know their families are coming here to live with the former prisoners in some sort of residential compound.
Qataris have a different relationship with the Taliban than does the U.S. Afghanistan is not their war. These men and their families are fellow Muslims. And Qatar sees the latest prisoner swap as a humanitarian gesture. That is pretty much all Doha is saying.
Most of the "Taliban dream team," as one former Afghan official put it, either had very close ties with Taliban leader in exile Mullah Omar or with Al Qaeda. That said, some have suggested they are "grey beards", well past their prime and a little out of touch. One Afghan journalist I have spoken to says actually their value has gone up rather than down, as the timing of their release is very sensitive, with the U.S. troop withdrawal coming up. He said it makes the Afghan people question the commitment to their security, but adds that Afghans do understand American concerns about getting a soldier home. Qatar's track record for keeping track of militants in its custody has not been stellar. Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed slipped through here in 1996 when Washington thought Doha was keeping tabs on him, and another Gitmo prisoner transferred here a few years ago, Jarallah al-Marri, was supposed to be confined to Qatar but managed to turn up in London, where he was arrested. This time, U.S. officials say they are confident that the Taliban five will be kept in this country for the term of the deal and as such, their threat will be mitigated.
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Posted by:Steve White |
#1 This time, U.S. officials say they are confident that the Taliban five will be kept in this country for the term of the deal and as such, their threat will be mitigated. Internet and phone access? Visitors? Parcel and mail delivery? |
Posted by: Pappy 2014-06-09 12:48 |