Bergdahl: Senator Says Jihadists Swapped For U.S. Troop ‘In Touch’ With Al-Qaida Affiliate
Bowe Bergdahl exited Taliban captivity in exchange for the U.S. releasing five jihadists to the government of Qatar, and now a U.S. senator claims those jihadists are “in touch” with an al-Qaida affiliate, which would confirm the fears of critics who objected to the deal made by the Obama administration.
CNN reported on January 29 that at least one of the five jihadists “has attempted to return to militant activity.”
“Several U.S. officials across different agencies and branches of the U.S. government have confirmed key details to CNN. The White House referred CNN to the Pentagon.”
CNN added that the U.S. allegedly believes this based on “an ongoing U.S. intelligence program to secretly intercept and monitor all of their communications in Qatar.”
Pentagon suspects detainee exchanged for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl attempting militant activity @barbarastarrcnn reports http://t.co/CWPGE3VWDF
— Barbara Starr (@barbarastarrcnn) January 29, 2015
The Associated Press provided a similar report, adding a named official to back up the assertion that the jihadists released for Bergdahl are now looking to return to terrorism.
“Sen. Lindsey Graham said Thursday that the Taliban detainees released from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl have been in touch with members of the al-Qaida linked Haqqani network, yet all five still are being monitored in Qatar.”
Graham’s alleged assertions about the status of the five jihadists apparently is based on his visit to Qatar. The AP said that Graham “had been afraid that one of the detainees had left the country,” although the Qatari government later assured him that all five jihadists remained in its borders, per the agreement with the U.S. government.
This latest news involving the terrorists exchanged for Bergdahl comes at a time when the Obama administration is dealing with rumors regarding the ongoing investigation into his conduct leading up to his capture.
The Inquisitr previously reported that some pundits and news outlets are claiming the government has decided to charge Bergdahl with desertion.
However, the U.S. Department of Defense flatly denies such allegations. Meanwhile, this denial has caused more speculation on how the unofficial allegations and official denial of those allegations might be part of an ongoing fight behind the scenes.
In fact, the Daily Signal argued the seemingly inconsistent “statements are not inconsistent.”
“Shaffer and Miklaszewski report that Bergdahl will be charged—ostensibly soon. Kirby is merely saying Bergdahl has not been charged yet. And by saying Bergdahl has not had charges referred against him, he is betting the press and public don’t understand the unique procedural steps in the court-martial process.”
The White House had not issued a statement on the latest reports regarding the alleged attempt of one or more of the jihadists released for Bergdahl to return to terrorism as of the time of the publication of this article.
[Image via screen capture of Department of Defense video.]
