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| Hagel discusses details of U.S. operation to exchange Taliban detainees for captive soldier | Hagel discusses details of U.S. operation to exchange Taliban detainees for captive soldier |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| BAGRAM, Afghanistan — The commander of the U.S. Special Operations team that retrieved Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on Saturday was in direct contact with his Taliban counterpart as the two sides arranged and approached their rendezvous near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, according to senior Defense Department officials. | BAGRAM, Afghanistan — The commander of the U.S. Special Operations team that retrieved Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on Saturday was in direct contact with his Taliban counterpart as the two sides arranged and approached their rendezvous near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, according to senior Defense Department officials. |
| As additional details of the operation began to surface Sunday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other officials said that every precaution was taken to reduce the margin for possible error or miscalculation. | As additional details of the operation began to surface Sunday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other officials said that every precaution was taken to reduce the margin for possible error or miscalculation. |
| “In an operation like this, where there’s always uncertainty, always danger, you prepare for all eventualities,” said Hagel, who arrived here Sunday afternoon on a brief, unannounced stop, where he met privately with more than a dozen members of the team that carried out the mission. | “In an operation like this, where there’s always uncertainty, always danger, you prepare for all eventualities,” said Hagel, who arrived here Sunday afternoon on a brief, unannounced stop, where he met privately with more than a dozen members of the team that carried out the mission. |
| “They took every possible precaution we could take, through intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, through having enough of our assets positioned in the right locations, having enough helicopters, doing everything we could . . . to anticipate any violence or anything going in a different direction,” Hagel said. | “They took every possible precaution we could take, through intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, through having enough of our assets positioned in the right locations, having enough helicopters, doing everything we could . . . to anticipate any violence or anything going in a different direction,” Hagel said. |
| “Fortunately, no shots were fired,” he said. “There was no violence. It went as well as we not only had expected and planned, but I think as well as it could have.” | “Fortunately, no shots were fired,” he said. “There was no violence. It went as well as we not only had expected and planned, but I think as well as it could have.” |
| Officials said “dozens” of Special Operations troops went to the site in helicopters for the meeting with 18 Taliban delivering Bergdahl, while additional militants waited in the distance. | Officials said “dozens” of Special Operations troops went to the site in helicopters for the meeting with 18 Taliban delivering Bergdahl, while additional militants waited in the distance. |
| U.S. and NATO Commander Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. said there was a sense of excitement at International Security Assistance Force headquarters as the news spread here Saturday. | U.S. and NATO Commander Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. said there was a sense of excitement at International Security Assistance Force headquarters as the news spread here Saturday. |
| “You almost got choked up,” he said. “It was pretty extraordinary. It has been almost five years and he is home.” | “You almost got choked up,” he said. “It was pretty extraordinary. It has been almost five years and he is home.” |
| Captured in 2009 while serving in Afghanistan, Bergdahl had been held in western Pakistan for nearly five years by the Taliban-allied Haqqani network. But officials insisted Saturday that it was the Taliban, and not the Haqqanis, who turned him over. | Captured in 2009 while serving in Afghanistan, Bergdahl had been held in western Pakistan for nearly five years by the Taliban-allied Haqqani network. But officials insisted Saturday that it was the Taliban, and not the Haqqanis, who turned him over. |
| Initial announcements on Bergdahl’s release said only that negotiations leading up to it began several weeks ago through the government of Qatar, and indicated no direct contact between the United States and the Taliban. | Initial announcements on Bergdahl’s release said only that negotiations leading up to it began several weeks ago through the government of Qatar, and indicated no direct contact between the United States and the Taliban. |
| But planning for the actual operation that took place in the past week eventually put operational commanders on both sides in direct contact. Officials declined to specify the method of communication. | But planning for the actual operation that took place in the past week eventually put operational commanders on both sides in direct contact. Officials declined to specify the method of communication. |
| Speaking to reporters aboard his aircraft en route to Bagram, Hagel rejected charges by some Republican lawmakers that the exchange of Bergdahl for five Taliban detainees held at Guantanamo prison had violated congressional requirements for advance notification on detainee transfers. He said that President Obama had used his executive power under the Constitution. | Speaking to reporters aboard his aircraft en route to Bagram, Hagel rejected charges by some Republican lawmakers that the exchange of Bergdahl for five Taliban detainees held at Guantanamo prison had violated congressional requirements for advance notification on detainee transfers. He said that President Obama had used his executive power under the Constitution. |
| “We believe that the President of the United States, as commander in chief, has the power and authority to make the decision that he did under Article II of the Constitution,” Hagel said. Obama has hesitated at times to assert his executive power without seeking congressional approval. | “We believe that the President of the United States, as commander in chief, has the power and authority to make the decision that he did under Article II of the Constitution,” Hagel said. Obama has hesitated at times to assert his executive power without seeking congressional approval. |
| “We believed that the information that we had, the intelligence that we had, was such that Sgt. Bergdahl’s safety and health were both in jeopardy and, in particular, his health was deteriorating,” Hagel said. “It was our judgment that if we could find an opening and move very quickly … that we could get him out of there, essentially to save his life.” | “We believed that the information that we had, the intelligence that we had, was such that Sgt. Bergdahl’s safety and health were both in jeopardy and, in particular, his health was deteriorating,” Hagel said. “It was our judgment that if we could find an opening and move very quickly … that we could get him out of there, essentially to save his life.” |
| Obama’s national security advisers were “unanimous that this was the right thing to do” and Hagel had signed the transfer order, he said. Qatar has agreed to supervise the five released men under unspecified conditions, and to keep them from leaving that country for one year. | Obama’s national security advisers were “unanimous that this was the right thing to do” and Hagel had signed the transfer order, he said. Qatar has agreed to supervise the five released men under unspecified conditions, and to keep them from leaving that country for one year. |
| Hagel also confirmed that Afghan President Hamid Karzai was not informed of the operation in advance and was told afterward in a call from Secretary of State John F. Kerry. | Hagel also confirmed that Afghan President Hamid Karzai was not informed of the operation in advance and was told afterward in a call from Secretary of State John F. Kerry. |
| “This was an operation … that had to be very closely held,” Hagel said. “Very few people knew about this operation. We did not want to jeopardize [it], we couldn’t afford any leaks anywhere.” | “This was an operation … that had to be very closely held,” Hagel said. “Very few people knew about this operation. We did not want to jeopardize [it], we couldn’t afford any leaks anywhere.” |
| Hagel said he eventually hoped to meet with Bergdahl, but that all contacts were dependent on medical assessments of his condition. “The first focus is on his health and getting him the medical attention that he needs,” Hagel said. “I won’t interfere with that” until “the doctors say that it’s appropriate that I could speak with him.” | Hagel said he eventually hoped to meet with Bergdahl, but that all contacts were dependent on medical assessments of his condition. “The first focus is on his health and getting him the medical attention that he needs,” Hagel said. “I won’t interfere with that” until “the doctors say that it’s appropriate that I could speak with him.” |
| The Afghan government said Sunday that the prisoner release “contradicted a prior understanding with the Islamic Government of Afghanistan.” | |
| A statement from the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said although Afghanistan welcomed the release of the Guantanamo detainees, the decision to send the men to Qatar violated “international laws, which say that no government can submit a citizen of another country to a third nation as a prisoner.” | |
| The government asked for the former detainees’ “unconditional freedom” and that they be able to leave Qatar. The statement did not say whether the Kabul government wants them to return to Afghanistan, or whether it would accept their relocation to Pakistan, where the rest of the Taliban leadership is based. | |
| The Afghan government has made that request to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. | |
| The news of the prisoner exchange also came as a surprise to Afghan peace negotiators, who have been trying fruitlessly to revive talks with the Taliban. For years, they have considered the prospect of releasing Taliban detainees a useful step toward reconciliation. But Saturday’s exchange did not appear to be a part of broader Afghan peace efforts. | |
| Negotiators said Sunday that they see the release as a positive sign, but they suggested that they should have played a larger role, particularly by receiving the detainees after their release. | Negotiators said Sunday that they see the release as a positive sign, but they suggested that they should have played a larger role, particularly by receiving the detainees after their release. |
| “We did know for a year that there were talks about this matter, but we were not aware of the actual process of it happening in the past week or so,” said Ismail Qasimyar, the Afghan High Peace Council’s director of foreign relations. “We hope the releases can lead to peace. We expected the handover of the Afghan prisoners to the government, because legally that is an international principle and our right.” | “We did know for a year that there were talks about this matter, but we were not aware of the actual process of it happening in the past week or so,” said Ismail Qasimyar, the Afghan High Peace Council’s director of foreign relations. “We hope the releases can lead to peace. We expected the handover of the Afghan prisoners to the government, because legally that is an international principle and our right.” |
| On Saturday, the Taliban posted several photos of the released detainees meeting with other Taliban officials in Qatar. The images showed men with long, graying beards in emotional embraces. | On Saturday, the Taliban posted several photos of the released detainees meeting with other Taliban officials in Qatar. The images showed men with long, graying beards in emotional embraces. |
| The Taliban also released a rare public statement from its leader, Mohammad Omar. | The Taliban also released a rare public statement from its leader, Mohammad Omar. |
| “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Muslim nation,” the statement said. | “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Muslim nation,” the statement said. |
| Omar also thanked the government of Qatar “for their mediation and for hosting them.” | Omar also thanked the government of Qatar “for their mediation and for hosting them.” |
| Initially taken to a forward operating base near the Pakistani border where the handoff took place, Bergdahl was later flown to Bagram and then to the U.S. military’s Landstuhl medical center in Germany. A senior Defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity about details not made public, said he likely would later be taken to Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio. | Initially taken to a forward operating base near the Pakistani border where the handoff took place, Bergdahl was later flown to Bagram and then to the U.S. military’s Landstuhl medical center in Germany. A senior Defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity about details not made public, said he likely would later be taken to Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio. |
| Hagel and other officials said they had few initial details on Bergdahl’s condition beyond the fact that he walked to the U.S. helicopter under his own steam after being turned over by the Taliban. They said that he appeared to have difficulty speaking English after nearly five years in captivity with Pashtun-speaking Afghans. | Hagel and other officials said they had few initial details on Bergdahl’s condition beyond the fact that he walked to the U.S. helicopter under his own steam after being turned over by the Taliban. They said that he appeared to have difficulty speaking English after nearly five years in captivity with Pashtun-speaking Afghans. |
| While American prisoners of war have been held before in solitary confinement — including in Vietnam — in most cases they were able to communicate with other prisoners, if only through knocks on the wall or taps on pipes. | While American prisoners of war have been held before in solitary confinement — including in Vietnam — in most cases they were able to communicate with other prisoners, if only through knocks on the wall or taps on pipes. |
| Bergdahl, Hagel said, “was by himself” since his capture in the summer of 2009. “As far as we know, there were no other Americans.” | Bergdahl, Hagel said, “was by himself” since his capture in the summer of 2009. “As far as we know, there were no other Americans.” |
| “There’s some emotion for me on this because of my own experiences” as an Army sergeant in Vietnam, he said. “This is a happy day. A happy day.” | “There’s some emotion for me on this because of my own experiences” as an Army sergeant in Vietnam, he said. “This is a happy day. A happy day.” |
| “When you can bring one of your own people home, and you think what he has endured the last five years … I am as intensely happy and gratified as I suspect anybody is.” | “When you can bring one of your own people home, and you think what he has endured the last five years … I am as intensely happy and gratified as I suspect anybody is.” |
| Asked whether the exchange could endanger U.S. forces in the future and embolden terrorists to take more Americans as prisoners, as some U.S. lawmakers have charged, Hagel said: “Again, I remind you this was a POW exchange. He was a prisoner. As we know certainly from what we’re dealing with all over the world today with terrorist groups, they take hostages, they take innocent schoolgirls, they take business people. They will take any target that they can get to. Again, our focus was on the return of Sgt. Bergdahl.” | Asked whether the exchange could endanger U.S. forces in the future and embolden terrorists to take more Americans as prisoners, as some U.S. lawmakers have charged, Hagel said: “Again, I remind you this was a POW exchange. He was a prisoner. As we know certainly from what we’re dealing with all over the world today with terrorist groups, they take hostages, they take innocent schoolgirls, they take business people. They will take any target that they can get to. Again, our focus was on the return of Sgt. Bergdahl.” |
| Following the transfer of the five, who departed Guantanamo Saturday, accompanied by Qatari officials aboard a U.S. military aircraft, about a dozen Taliban prisoners remain among about 150 detainees still at the prison. International law experts have questioned how long the administration can continue to hold those who have not been charged after the final withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan in December, a moment Obama has said will mark the end of the war. | Following the transfer of the five, who departed Guantanamo Saturday, accompanied by Qatari officials aboard a U.S. military aircraft, about a dozen Taliban prisoners remain among about 150 detainees still at the prison. International law experts have questioned how long the administration can continue to hold those who have not been charged after the final withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan in December, a moment Obama has said will mark the end of the war. |
| At the very least, experts and administration officials have said that they anticipate a number of new lawsuits will be filed by detainees. | At the very least, experts and administration officials have said that they anticipate a number of new lawsuits will be filed by detainees. |
| Hagel said he had not focused on any possible action by the military against Bergdahl, whom military officials have said was captured after he apparently voluntarily walked off his post in eastern Afghanistan. | Hagel said he had not focused on any possible action by the military against Bergdahl, whom military officials have said was captured after he apparently voluntarily walked off his post in eastern Afghanistan. |
| “Sgt. Bergdahl is a member of the U.S. Army… Our first priority is assuring his well-being and his health and getting him reunited with his family. Other circumstances that may develop, the questions, those will be dealt with later,” he said. | “Sgt. Bergdahl is a member of the U.S. Army… Our first priority is assuring his well-being and his health and getting him reunited with his family. Other circumstances that may develop, the questions, those will be dealt with later,” he said. |
| But the senior Defense official indicated punitive action was unlikely, no matter what the circumstances. “Five years is enough,” he said. | But the senior Defense official indicated punitive action was unlikely, no matter what the circumstances. “Five years is enough,” he said. |
| Kevin Sieff and Sayed Salahuddin in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report. |