US – Taliban prisoner deal sparks international criticism

U.S. Has been targeted again by heavy international criticism after five high-ranking Taliban militants were freed in an exchange for a U.S. Soldier. Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the only known U.S prisoner of the war in Afghanistan reached us base in Landstuhl, Germany.

Bergdahl was captured on June 30 2009 near the town of Yahya Kheyl in the Paktika Province after falling behind a patrol. He was captive five years until U.S. Officials agreed to swap him for five terrorist members held in Guantanamo Bay jail. The five prisoners were flown to Qatar as part of the deal.

The Afghan government and International media immediately called the transfer illegal and that the deal violated international law. “No government can transfer citizens of a country to a third country as prisoners,” the Afghan Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

All five prisoners have been detained since 2002 and they were all classed as “high-risk” and “likely to pose a threat” by the Pentagon. However, under the terms of the deal they must stay in Qatar for a year.

International media reported that the deal will only fuel other groups of Talibans to try and capture existing troops in Afghanistan for the release of other prisoners in the U.S. Meanwhile, Bowe Bergdahl was initiated in a “reintegration process” with the US Army. “The full focus of the Landstuhl team is to provide necessary medical care and a safe environment for his recovery,” part of an official statement release by US official is Germany.