President Obama defends deal with Taliban to free only American POW in Afghanistan

Deal allows five terror suspects free from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

President Obama Saturday night defended his decision to negotiate indirectly with the Taliban, trading five terrorism suspects in U.S. custody to gain the release of the only American soldier held as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan. The president said the deal is part America’s “iron-clad commitment to bringing our prisoners home.”

“That’s who we are as Americans,” Mr. Obama said in the White House Rose Garden, with the parents of released U.S. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl at his side.

Mr. Obama briefly gave the details of the deal with the Taliban, but did not address directly the negotiations in which the government of Qatar served as a go-between.

“The United States is transferring five detainees from the prison in Guantanamo Bay to Qatar,” Mr. Obama said. “The Qatari government has given us assurances that it will put in place measures to protect our national security.”

Sgt. Bergdahl was handed over to U.S. special forces by the Taliban Saturday in an area of eastern Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border. Officials said the exchange was not violent and the 28-year-old Sgt. Bergdahl was in good condition and able to walk.

The handover followed secret and indirect negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban. Qatar is taking custody of the five Afghan detainees that had been held the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Top Republicans on the Senate and House Armed Services Committee criticized Mr. Obama for negotiating with the Taliban. “Trading five senior Taliban leaders from detention in Guantanamo Bay for Berghdal’s release may have consequences for the rest of our forces and all Americans,” said Sen. James M. Inhofe, Oklahoma Republican, and Rep. Buck McKeon, California Republican, in a joint statement.

Mr. Obama, who is under a storm of criticism for his administration’s neglect of veterans’ health care, hugged the parents of Sgt. Bergdahl, Bob and Jani Bergdahl of Idaho, at the end of his comments. “While Bo was gone, he was never forgotten,” Mr. Obama said. “His parents thought about him and prayed for him every single day. He wasn’t forgotten by his country.”

The president also said his administration is “deeply committed” to bringing back other Americans detained unjustly abroad.

Mrs. Bergdahl thanked “everyone who supported Bo.” The soldier’s father said his son was having trouble speaking English after so long in captivity. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he informed Congress Saturday of the decision “to transfer five detainees from Guantánamo Bay to Qatar.”

“The United States has coordinated closely with Qatar to ensure that security measures are in place and the national security of the United States will not be compromised,” Mr. Hagel said. “I appreciate the efforts of the Emir of Qatar to put these measures in place, and I want to thank him for his instrumental role in facilitating the return of Sgt. Bergdahl.”

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