WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President
Barack Obama, flanked by the parents of a U.S. soldier released after
being held for nearly five years by the Taliban, said in the White House
Rose Garden on Saturday that the United States has an "ironclad
commitment" to bring home its prisoners of war.
Obama
said that while Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was being held, he was
never forgotten. "We're committed to winding down the war in Afghanistan
and we are committed to closing Gitmo (the prison for foreign terrorism
suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba). But we also made an ironclad
commitment to bring our prisoners of war home," Obama said.
"That's
who we are as Americans. It's a profound obligation within our
military. And today, at least in this instance, it's a promise we've
been able to keep," Obama added.
The
released soldier's father, Bob Bergdahl, spoke after the president and
said that his son was "having trouble speaking English," adding, "The
complicated nature of this recovery ... will never really be
comprehended."
Obama told the soldier's mother and father that "as a parent I can't imagine the hardship that you guys have gone through."
In
the deal to gain the freedom of the last U.S. soldier who was a
prisoner in the Afghan war, the United States agreed to release five
Taliban detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison into the custody of the
government of Qatar.
"The Qatari government has given us assurances that it will put in place measures to protect our national security," Obama said.
This is my answer.....
.
View photo
FILE - This file image provided
by IntelCenter on Dec. 8, 2010, shows a frame grab from a video
released by the Taliban containing footage of a man believed to be Bowe
Bergdahl, left. Saturday, May 31, 2014, U.S. officials say Bergdahl, the
only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan has been freed and
is in U.S. custody. The officials say his release was part of a
negotiation that includes the release of five Afghan detainees held in
the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (AP Photo/IntelCenter, File)
MANDATORY CREDIT: INTELCENTER; NO SALES; EDS NOTE: "INTELCENTER" AT LEFT
TOP CORNER ADDED BY SOURCE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two
Republican lawmakers on Saturday accused President Barack Obama of
breaking the law by approving the release of five Afghan detainees held
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in exchange for a U.S. soldier believed held by
Islamist insurgents for five years.
The White House agreed that actions were taken in
spite of legal requirements and cited "unique and exigent circumstances"
as justification.
Sgt. Bowe
Bergdahl, 28, of Hailey, Idaho, was handed over to U.S. special
operations forces by the Taliban. In return, five Afghans who were held
at a U.S. detention facility in Cuba were released to the custody of the
government of Qatar, which served as a go-between in negotiations for
the trade.
Rep. Howard "Buck"
McKeon of California and Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma said in a
statement that Obama is required by law to notify Congress 30 days
before any terrorists are transferred from the U.S. facility. They said
Obama also is required to explain how the threat posed by such
terrorists has been substantially mitigated.
McKeon is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Inhofe is the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
In
response, the White House said it moved as quickly as possible given
the opportunity that arose to secure Bergdahl's release. Citing "these
unique and exigent circumstances," the White House said a decision was
made to go ahead with the transfer despite the legal requirement of 30
days advance notice to Congress.
While
saying they celebrate Bergdahl's release, McKeon and Inhofe warned that
the exchange "may have consequences for the rest of our forces and all
Americans."
"Our terrorist
adversaries now have a strong incentive to capture Americans. That
incentive will put our forces in Afghanistan and around the world at
even greater risk," they said.
Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said in a statement that
"the safe return of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is an answer to the prayers of
the Bergdahl family and a powerful reinforcement of our nation's
commitment to leave no service member behind."
