January 5, 2012 | FDD’s Long War Journal

White House Denies Deal to Release Taliban Leader

January 5, 2012 | FDD’s Long War Journal

White House Denies Deal to Release Taliban Leader

The Guardian (UK) reported yesterday, citing anonymous sources, that the Obama administration had already decided to release several senior Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo. The commanders' freedom was to be part of a quid pro quo agreement with the Taliban, leading to new peace talks between the two sides. (Specifically, the report indicated that the administration was to free the commanders in exchange for the Taliban's deciding to open a new “political office” in Qatar.)

According to The Atlantic Wire, however, the White House has now disputed the Guardian's report:

In a statement to The Atlantic Wire, National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor dismissed the The Guardian's story. “This report is not accurate,” he said. “The United States has not decided to release any Taliban officials from Guantanamo Bay in return for the Taliban's agreement to open a political office for peace negotiations.”

Note that Mr. Vietor did not dispute the possibility that the Taliban commanders could be freed at some point in the future. He simply denied that the administration had “decided to release” them as part of a quid pro quo deal with the Taliban.

It is worth noting that an earlier version of this story, published by Reuters, indicated that the administration would consult with Congress before making any decisions. That may be necessary, given the restrictions Congress has placed on Guantanamo detainee transfers.

We do know for certain two things:

(1) The Taliban have sought to free several Taliban leaders as part of the nascent peace talks. These detainees have been profiled several times at The Long War Journal. See here, here, here, and here.

(2) The New York Times, Fox News, Reuters, and the Washington Post have all reported that the administration is at least considering acquiescing to the Taliban's demands, relayed via the Afghan High Peace Council, which was set up to broker the peace talks.

The Post's version, in fact, says that “in late November, the administration reached a tentative agreement with the Taliban under which five Afghans detained at Guantanamo Bay would have been transferred to house arrest in Qatar, where an office would be opened, in exchange for the militant group's public renunciation of international terrorism.” This arrangement, according to the Post's reporting, was originally nixed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who later reversed course and agreed to some sort of deal. But the Post also stated that “[i]t was unclear whether the prisoner transfer was still under discussion.”

Keep in mind that all five of the Taliban leaders mentioned as possible bargaining chips have extensive ties to al Qaeda, according to declassified and leaked Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) documents. A key goal of the peace talks, according to press accounts, is to have the Taliban renounce al Qaeda and its terrorism.

Issues:

Afghanistan