...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
who were once held by the U.S. at Guantanamo Bay have joined the group’s political office in the Gulf nation of Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi..., according to sources inside the Taliban, a potentially important development in tentative peace talks now under way between the insurgency and Washington.
The move follows two rounds of talks between the Taliban and American officials in Qatar in July and October. Freeing the "Taliban Five" and bringing them into the political process appears to be a significant concession from the U.S. side. It had been a longstanding demand from the Taliban that was previously opposed by the White House.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the Trump administration approved the move or was aware of it. There was no immediate comment from Qatar.
Four of the men are very senior members of the Taliban. Joining the group’s political representatives in Doha significantly boosts the standing of that office, which could enable a more serious political dialogue with Washington.
They include the former head of the Taliban’s army, Mohammad Fazl. A senior military figure, he could help carry the movement’s dominant military side into the grinding of the peace processor, analysts say. It isn’t clear how much the Taliban’s military commanders support the peace dialogue.
The men were released from Guantanamo in 2014 by the U.S. in exchange for an American soldier held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, Bowe Bergdahl, and sent to Qatar. However,
it's easy to be generous with someone else's money...
until now, they lived under guard in their homes in the Gulf state. They weren’t allowed to hold political meetings or travel.
At an induction ceremony on Monday at the compound in Doha that houses the offices and living quarters of Taliban political representatives, they joined the Qatar office, Taliban front man Zabiullah Mujahid said.
"They have been appointed as members of political office in Doha," Mr. Mujahid said.
