Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar said the group’s negotiated release of five prisoners at Guantanamo Bay for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was a huge win and that fellow Afghan Muslims ought to pat themselves on the back.
“[It’s a] great victory,” he said, BBC reported. “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Muslim nation.”
The official Afghanistan government, however, wasn’t too heartened by the prisoner swap, which involves five Gitmo inmates — regarded by some as “the most senior Afghans held” at the base — for one U.S. soldier, Breitbart reported.
Part of the problem: The Afghan government wasn’t included in the decision-making process and was largely unaware of the swap until the deal was done, Breitbart said.
The United States forged the deal several days ago, the media group said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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