Showing posts with label Guantanamo Bay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guantanamo Bay. Show all posts

Monday, February 9, 2015

What, no tickets to Disneyworld?

February 09, 2015 al Qaeda , Guantanamo Bay 0 Comments
US Panel Weighs Case Of Alleged Al Qaeda Fighter At Guantanamo

By Ian Simpson, Jan. 27, 2015, Reuters.com

(Reuters) - A suspected al Qaeda fighter from Yemen on Tuesday faced a U.S. national security board weighing whether he should remain at the Guantanamo Bay military prison, with his representatives calling for his transfer.

The inmate, Saeed Ahmed Mohammed Abdullah Sarem Jarabh, is suspected of fighting for al Qaeda in Afghanistan. He has been held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since February 2002.

Jarabh's hearing before the Periodic Review Board was to re-examine whether he should continue to be held without charge or be transferred back to Yemen or another country.

A statement read by Jarabh's military representatives said he had studied Spanish and English at Guantanamo, had headed a prison farm planning project and had taken up painting.

Read the full story:  www.reuters.com

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Saturday, January 3, 2015

Please, that WON'T stop Obama

January 03, 2015 Afghan Taliban Prisoners , Guantanamo Bay 0 Comments
Wikileaks Warns That ‘Low Threat’ Gitmo Prisoner Released By Obama Is Really A High Risk Terrorist

Kara Pendleton, Jan. 1, 2015, Independent Journal Review

The “low threat” designation which some have publicized stems from a report on his behavior while detained that notes he has a low number of Disciplinary Infractions against him. It has nothing to do with his threat to the U.S., which was deemed “High risk.”

Read more: www.ijreview.com


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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Photo Of Smiling Bergdahl Posing With Taliban Official Surfaces On Twitter --So many questions?

Photo Of Smiling Bergdahl Posing With Taliban Official Surfaces On Twitter --So many questions?

July 10, 2014 Foxnews.com , Guantanamo Bay 0 Comments
By Foxnews.com, Jul. 9, 2014

The Middle East Research Institute (MEMRI) has identified a photo tweeted out by the Taliban that shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl posing with a senior member of the Haqqani network in Afghanistan.

MEMRI, a think tank, said the Twitter account @khorasan3, which is associated with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, showed an undated photo Wednesday of an apparently happy Bergdahl posing with Taliban Commander Badruddin Haqqani.

Read the full story:  www.foxnews.com

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Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Soldier: Bowe Bergdahl Lodged False War Crime Allegations Against His Unit --Just gets worse and worse

June 18, 2014 Guantanamo Bay , Hostage Exchange 0 Comments
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Jun. 18, 2014, Washingtonpost.com

 An Army veteran who served alongside Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan said Wednesday that the long-captive soldier was deeply frustrated with the mission and had lodged false allegations that their unit had carried out atrocities.

 Bergdahl “didn’t understand why we were doing more humanitarian aid drops, setting up clinics, and helping the populous instead of hunting the Taliban,” former Spec. Cody Full told lawmakers during a hearing on the exchange of Bergdahl for five Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. “He wanted to hunt and kill.”

 The Taliban released Bergdahl to U.S. Special Operations forces May 31 after he had spent nearly five years in captivity. Bergdahl, the last American service member to be held captive in Afghanistan, went missing from his remote outpost in June 2009 and was seized shortly thereafter.

 In exchange for his release, the Taliban officials were transferred to Qatar, where they will be held for a year before being sent back to Afghanistan.

 Both the terms of the prisoner swap and the Obama administration’s failure to notify Congress in advance have been the subject of persistent criticism. Bergdahl has also been criticized by some former members of his unit who believe he sought to desert the Army.

Read the full story:  www.washingtonpost.com

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Saturday, June 14, 2014

Daughter Of First American Killed In Afghanistan Learns Freed Taliban Leader Was Behind It --Oh, well...

June 14, 2014 Alison Spann , Guantanamo Bay 0 Comments
United States Marine Johnny Micheal “Mike” Spann
By Hollie McKay, Jun, 14, 2014, Foxnews.com

Alison Spann was just 9 when she learned her father, a U.S. Marine turned CIA operative, had become the first American killed in the war in Afghanistan. Thirteen years later, she found out her country had freed the Taliban leader behind his death.

In the time between, Spann has cherished the memory of her father, Johnny Micheal “Mike” Spann, who was killed during a Nov. 25, 2001 prisoner uprising at a northern Afghanistan compound where he was interrogating Taliban fighters. The 32-year-old was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in a ceremony in which he was lauded by then-CIA Director George Tenet for trying to build a "better, safer world." His daughter has since grown up and recently graduated from Pepperdine University, even as more than 2,300 Americans have died fighting in Afghanistan.

But nothing prepared Alison Spann for news that Mullah Mohammad Fazi, the unquestioned leader of the prisoners at the compound where her father was killed, had been traded along with four cohorts held at Guantanamo Bay for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held by the Taliban for nearly five years..

“It does become harder and harder to have faith in an administration that is plagued with scandal after scandal.”

- Alison Spann, daughter of first American killed in war in Afghanistan

“My initial reaction was shock. I was shocked that our president would release five of the most high-risk prisoners being held in Guantanamo in exchange for one American,” she told FoxNews.com. “As a whole, my family was extremely upset and saddened that our government would do something like this, especially in light of the fact that it seems that people in the intelligence community are fairly united in their belief that these terrorists are likely to seek to further harm Americans in the future.”

Read the full story:  www.foxnews.com

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Monday, June 9, 2014

Arsenio Hall Deletes Lame Taliban Joke In Favor Of Lamer Taliban Joke

June 09, 2014 Arsenio Hall , Guantanamo Bay 0 Comments
Read all the tweets on Twitchy:  www.twitchy.com

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Obama To Free Gitmo Terrorist ‘Because He Took Up Yoga’ --???

June 09, 2014 Guantanamo Bay , Obama Administration 0 Comments
Inmates at Guantanamo Bay prison
By Paul Sperry, Jun. 7, 2014, Nypost.com

If you thought President Obama’s release of five top Taliban commanders in exchange for POW Bowe Bergdahl was bad, wait until you see what his Gitmo parole board plans.

Desperate to empty the Guantanamo Bay prison by the end of his term, Obama quietly is giving “get out of jail free” cards for the flimsiest of excuses.

One al Qaeda suspect captured in Afghanistan is considered reformed because he took up yoga and read a biography of the Dalai Lama. Another is eligible for release because of his “positive attitude.”

And one longtime detainee, a former bodyguard for Osama bin Laden, is now harmless because he’s going to start a “milk and honey farm.”

The Periodic Review Board already helped clear 78 of the remaining 149 prisoners for release, documents show, and has scheduled more hearings for this summer.

Many of these men were dubbed “forever prisoners” because of the threat they posed to the US — with intelligence officials warning that, if free, they would return to the jihad to kill Americans.

Based on past cases, that’s a good bet.

In a report on detainee recidivism, Obama’s own director of national intelligence this year documented that 178, or 29 percent, of the 614 prisoners already transferred from the prison have been confirmed to have, or are suspected of having, re-engaged in terrorism.

That means for every three freed from Gitmo, one has rejoined the war against us. Intelligence analysts admit their ability to track all former detainees is limited, so the recidivism rate may, in fact, be much higher.

A detainee in an orange jumpsuit is led by US military police at Guantanamo.

One notorious recidivist, Abdullah Gulam Rasoul, became the Taliban’s operations commander in southern Afghanistan soon after his 2007 release from Gitmo. He was blamed for masterminding a surge in roadside attacks against American troops and organizing assaults on US aircraft in Afghanistan.

Another repeat terrorist is Said Ali al-Shihri, who after his 2007 release ran al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch and helped plan the deadly bombing of the US Embassy there.

Already, one of the five Taliban leaders freed last week in exchange for Bergdahl — Mullah Noorullah Noori — has pledged to return to fight Americans in Afghanistan.

Obama’s terrorist parole board was established in 2011. He appoints its members — officials from the Justice Department, Pentagon, State Department and Homeland Security — without a congressional confirmation process. It is secretive and lacking in accountability.

In setting up the Periodic Review Board, meanwhile, Obama prohibited members from relying on information that has been obtained as a result of “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (in order) to support a determination that continued law of war detention is warranted for a detainee.”

The bias against interrogation evidence potentially opens up the release of some of Gitmo’s hardest cases, including al Qaeda leader Abu Zubaydah, 2002 Bali bombing mastermind “Hambali,” and Mohammed al-Qahtani, the suspected 20th hijacker of the 9/11 attacks.

But these releases won’t cause the same outcry, because it’s being done in virtual secrecy. Already, more than 600 prisoners have been transferred out of Gitmo with little fanfare. Two hundred of them were sent back to Afghanistan.

As defense lawyer David Remes explained to Al Jazeera news network, “The Periodic Review Board is likely to be predisposed to approval to transfer because the idea here is to close down Guantanamo.”

The inmates slated for release include:

GHALEB NASSER AL-BIHANI, 34

Ghaleb Nasser al-Bihani

“He loves yoga”

What he did: Classified as an “indefinite detainee” in 2010 because of the danger he posed to the US. The Yemeni national was captured in 2001 fighting in Afghanistan. The military said he was a troublemaker while in custody, even inciting riots. He was uncooperative in interviews, showing “ill intentions toward the US.” One of his brothers in Yemen is a leader in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the terror group’s most lethal branch. ...

Read the full story:  www.nypost.com

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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Graham Contradicts Obama: 'The War Is Not Over When We Leave Afghanistan' --Enemy didn't get the memo...

Graham Contradicts Obama: 'The War Is Not Over When We Leave Afghanistan' --Enemy didn't get the memo...

June 05, 2014 Afghanistan , Guantanamo Bay 0 Comments
By Susan Jones, Jun. 4, 2014, Cnsnews.com

(CNSNews.com) - "This is what happens at the end of wars," President Obama said in Poland on Tuesday, as he defended his decision to swap Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five terrorists detained at Guantanamo Bay.

"The war is not over when we leave Afghanistan," Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Tuesday: "We're fighting al Qaeda, their affiliates, and people who provide material support, like the Taliban. These people will go back to the fight. President Obama has put Americans at risk all over the planet. And these people will go back to Afghanistan as sure as night follows day."



Read the full story:  www.cnsnews.com

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Today Between 3:00PM and 6:00PM (PDT): MIchelle Malkin To Appear On KABC 790's The Larry Elder Show To Discuss Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl

June 05, 2014 Desertion , Guantanamo Bay 0 Comments
Listen Live:  www.kabc.com


Related:  Exclusive: The Story You Haven’t Yet Heard About Bowe Bergdahl’s Desertion --Story gets worse and worse - by Michelle Malkin

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The Bergdahl Deal -- Five Terrorists For a ‘Deserter’? By Larry Elder

June 05, 2014 Articles by Larry Elder , Desertion 0 Comments
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
By Larry Elder, Jun. 5, 2014

 The Washington Times reports that the Pentagon pretty much knew the whereabouts of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in recent years. So why didn't they rescue him?

 Quoting a former intelligence official, the Times said: "Military commanders were loath to risk their people to say this guy. They were loath to pick him up and because of that hesitancy, we wind up trading five Taliban guys for him. The mentality was, ‘We’re not going to lose more of our own guys on this.’”

 The Times also quoted an anonymous “high-level congressional aide”: “Joint Special Operations Command always had the rescue mission on the table and it was entirely under their ownership, but the big question centered on whether Bergdahl was somebody you risk lives for when you still have time and space to maneuver diplomatically. … The prisoner swap was being built up as the only option that was available. But there’s been knowledge of the general vicinity of where Bergdahl was, down to how many guys were guarding him.”

 The congressional aide, wrote the Times, also said that military officials in Afghanistan had been pushing for a stronger deal, but they were “superseded” by the State Department and the White House. The intelligence official said “the administration wanted to close the door on this no matter what the price was.”

 While Bergdahl was in captivity, the military barred soldiers from discussing him, possibly because of the questionable circumstances under which Berbdahl was captured, and also to avoid making him an even bigger ransom tool of political value.

 Now that he's been released, members of Bergdahl’s unit who have spoken out call him a "deserter.”

One posted this comment in the Army Times: “Bergdahl had been acting a little strange, telling people he wanted to ‘walk the earth’ and kept a little journal talking about how he was meant for better things. No one thought anything about it. He was a little ‘out there.’ Next morning he’s gone. … He left his weapon, his kit, and other sensitive items. He only took some water, a compass and a knife.

 “We find some Afghan kids shortly after who saw an American walking north asking about where the Taliban are. … We come to realize that [Bergdahl] deserted his post, snuck out of camp and sought out Taliban… to join them.”

 He then talks about the soldiers killed or wounded in the search for Bergdahl: “PFC Matthew Michael Martinek, SSG Kurt Robert Curtiss, SSG Clayton Bowen, PFC Morris Walker, SSG Michael Murphy, 2LT Darryn Andrews, were all KIA from our unit who died looking for Bergdahl. … Fighting increased. IEDs and enemy ambushes increased. The Taliban knew that we were looking for him in high numbers and our movements were predictable. Because of Bergdahl, more men were out in danger, and more attacks on friendly camps and positions were conducted while we were out looking for him.”

 Another soldier from Bergdahl's battalion, Nathan Bradley Bethea, writes it's “time to speak the truth." In a piece for "The Daily Beast" in which he, too, calls Bergdahl a "deserter," Bethea says: "Bergdahl failed to show for the morning roll call. The soldiers in 2nd platoon Blackfoot Company discovered his rifle, helmet, body armor and web gear in a neat stack. He had, however, taken his compass. His fellow soldiers later mentioned his stated desire to walk from Afghanistan to India."

 The five terrorists released from Guantánamo in exchange for Bergdahl are said to be "the worst of the worst." They were all high-level Taliban, and included two deputy ministers, two Taliban governors and a head of security -- with at least four involved in heroin trafficking and/or drug wars and/or mass murders.

How does the Bergdahl deal affect our enemies? At the very least, they know we will negotiate with terrorists, despite what we say. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel says, however, that we did not negotiate with terrorists. The country of Qatar negotiated. Cue the laugh track.

 As for President Obama’s Rose garden celebration flanked by Bergdahl’s parents, he may come to regret it. Many in the military believe that Bergdahl should face military justice, and may even end up getting court-martialed.

 Just days before Bergdahl's father tweeted the following message: "I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners. God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen [sic]!" Of even more interest, however, is a person to whom the tweet was directed. He is Abdulqahar Balkhi, with the radical Muslim website Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan, Voice Of Jihad. The site promotes Sharia law and features body parts of "infidels."

Try pairing Bowe Bergdahl’s alleged desertion and his anti-American comments with National Security Advisor Susan Rice’s assertion that “he served the United States with honor and distinction.”

 As a result of this deal, military and civilian personnel posted in dangerous places now have an even bigger price tag on their heads. Nations publicly say they will not negotiate with terrorists. But they do. The question, as always, is whether the benefit outweighs the costs.

This deal stinks.
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Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Allen West: The Case For Impeachment Of Barack Hussein Obama -GOP couldn't take the blowback. Impeach 1st black prez?

June 04, 2014 Allen West , Guantanamo Bay 0 Comments
By Allen West, Jun. 3, 2014, Allenwest.com

 This morning on WMALs “Morning on the Mall” radio show with hosts Brian and Larry I was asked a simple question relating to the Taliban prisoner release and impeachment of the president. I responded yes that in this current case, the U.S. House of Representatives should file articles of impeachment against Barack Hussein Obama.

 Now before all the detractors go apoplectic here, let me tell you about Article 2 signing statements, their intent, purpose, history, and usage, and the implications for the president’s impeachment.

 President Obama used an Article 2 signing statement to deem unconstitutional a measure HE had signed into law contained in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The law stated that he must advise Congress within 30 days about any plans to transfer detainees from GITMO. Obama basically stated that this was “unconstitutional” and that his unilateral action fell within his purview. Once again Obama used selective discretion as to what law he feels he must adhere to — in this case it has severe ramifications for our national security.

 Why would the United States acquiesce to the demands of a non-state, non-uniform terrorist organization — the Taliban? The Taliban is our enemy and it is not a nation-state with whom we should enter into negotiations. There are some 141 detainees at GITMO. The five released were senior Taliban officials, basically members of Mullah Omar’s inner circle. If we wanted to release detainees in exchange for Bergdahl, there were many others to choose from. Why these?

 The rate of recidivism for GITMO released detainees has gone from 1 in 6 to 1 in 3 — and why would we think a one-year travel ban out of Qatar will be respected, or even make a difference with today’s modern communications technology? Even Obama has now stated they may just return to terrorist activity.

 Obama’s breaking of the law in this case presents serious national security concerns — for all Americans. This is aiding and abetting the enemy, which goes along with the collusion of this administration with Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated organizations and supplying weapons and arms to Islamists.

 Obama just released the leadership of a terrorist organization, and what did we get in return? A deserter, who by his own self-proclamation harbors anti-American sentiments — which it seems that Susan Rice, our esteemed National Security Advisor, didn’t even realize his heinous actions — or maybe as usual she just lied about it again. Bergdahl served the United States with honor and distinction? Let’s not send Susan Rice out ever again.

 To hear Obama state that “no American should be left behind” — has he forgotten about Benghazi and Marine SGT Tahmooressi? How about leaving behind American veterans to die?

 Ladies and gentlemen, I submit that Barack Hussein Obama’s unilateral negotiations with terrorists and the ensuing release of their key leadership without consult — mandated by law — with the U.S. Congress represents high crimes and misdemeanors, an impeachable offense.

 So I call upon the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives; Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to draft articles of impeachment as no one is above the law in America. The failure to do so speaks volumes.

 Source: www.allenbwest.com
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Obama State Department: Soldiers Are Lying About Bowe Bergdahl --"...arrogance is boundless"

June 04, 2014 Desertion , Guantanamo Bay 1 Comments


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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Obama's Illegal Taliban Swap Puts Price On Our Heads --We need to hear from Bergdahl

June 03, 2014 Guantanamo Bay , Hostage Exchange 0 Comments
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl 
via Investors.com
By Investors.com, Jun. 2, 2014

Terrorists: The release of a soldier held for five years is welcome, but not at the price of five high-risk Taliban commanders sure to return to the battlefield. It's a deal that puts a price on American heads everywhere.

Memo to jihadists — if you take an American soldier hostage, President Obama will return five of your fellow killers to you.

That they will return to the battlefield to kill again, as other former Gitmo detainees have, is a given. But when you're committed to leaving Afghanistan and closing Gitmo, this is a twofer.

One question we have is: How many Americans lost their lives in the pursuit and capture of these jihadists? How many Afghan and American deaths were they responsible for? How many more will die as the result of their release and their likely return to the battlefield?

We welcome home the release of any American prisoner of war, but in the aftermath of the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, many of Bergdahl's peers, according to the Washington Post, consider him a deserter and not a hero.

Disappearing from a military post in a war zone without authorization commonly results in one of two criminal charges in the Army: desertion or going absent without leave, or AWOL. We should emphasize that we don't know if this is true, but it certainly warrants looking into. Did we swap five terrorists for a deserter?

Bergdahl was believed to have been held by the militant Haqqani network in the tribal area of Pakistan's northwest frontier on the Afghan border. He was picked up in eastern Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border, by a Navy SEAL team.

Read the full story:  www.news.investors.com

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FNC: Bergdahl Renounced US Citizenship

June 03, 2014 Fox News , Guantanamo Bay 0 Comments
Via Twitchy


Read more Tweets:  www.twitchy.com
Related:  Report: Bowe Bergdahl Wrote a Note Saying He Wanted to Renounce His American Citizenship

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Gulf Official: Qatar Allowing Freed Taliban Men To Move Freely In Country --No beheadings for at least a year

June 03, 2014 Afghan Taliban Prisoners , Guantanamo Bay 1 Comments
By Reuters, Jun. 3, 2014, via Yahoo News

 DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar has moved five Afghan Taliban prisoners freed in exchange for a U.S. soldier to a residential compound and will let them move freely in the country, a senior Gulf official said on Tuesday, a step likely to be scrutinized by Washington.

 U.S. officials have referred to the release of the Islamist militants as a transfer and said they would be subject to certain restrictions in Qatar. One of the officials said that would include a minimum one-year ban on them traveling outside of Qatar as well as monitoring of their activities.

 "All five men received medical checks and they now live with their families in an accommodation facility in Doha," the Gulf source, who declined to be identified, told Reuters. "They can move around freely within the country."

 Following the deal under which freed the last American soldier held in Afghanistan was freed, concerns have been expressed by some U.S. intelligence officials and congressional advisers over the role of the Gulf Arab state as a bridge between Washington and the world of radical Islam.

 The Gulf official said the Taliban men, who have been granted Qatari residency permits, will not be treated like prisoners while in Doha and no U.S. officials will be involved in monitoring their movement while in the country.

 "Under the deal they have to stay in Qatar for a year and then they will be allowed to travel outside the country... They can go back to Afghanistan if they want to," the official said.

 The five, who had been held at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba since 2002, arrived in Qatar on Sunday where U.S. security personnel handed them over to Qatari authorities in the Al Udeid area west of Doha, site of a U.S. military base.

Read the full story:  www.news.yahoo.com

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Bergdahl Left Letter: He Was 'Leaving To Start New Life And Didn't Want To Fight For America'

June 03, 2014 Dailymail.co.uk , Daniel Bates 0 Comments
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
By Daniel Bates, Jun. 3, 2014, Dailymail.co.uk

 Bowe Bergdahl left a note saying he had gone to start a 'new life' and a former comrade broke his military gagging order today to tell MailOnline of the jaw-dropping moment he discovered the Taliban POW had walked off from their Afghanistan base.

 The soldier, who requested anonymity as he is still in the military, said: ‘Everyone looked at me like I was crazy but I was right, he had walked off.’

 The New York Times reported Bergdahl also left behind a note in which he said he did not want to fight for America any more, did not believe in the war - and was leaving to start a new life.

 The revelation came as it emerged the Army may still pursue charges against Sgt Bergdahl for desertion.

 Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said military leaders have been accused of 'looking away from misconduct, and it's premature' to think they will not look into it.

 This comes just days after Susan Rice, Obama's national security adviser said he served with 'honor and distinction'.

 There are a variety of offenses related to an absence without proper approval, and a number of potential actions could be taken by the military.

He could be tried by court martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for desertion; he could be given a non-judicial punishment for a lesser charge, such as being away without leave. And he could be given credit for time already served while he was a prisoner.

 It will pile further pressure on Obama over his judgement in releasing five top Taliban terror leaders from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for a soldier who now faces charges for abandoning his unit and his oath to the U.S. Army.

 The soldier who spoke to MailOnline made his feelings and those of his comrades very clear.

He said: ‘As far as I’m concerned Bergdahl deserted his men and should face the firing squad. People died trying to save him. He was a deserter’.

 Bergdahl’s platoon anxiously searched the observation post they had set up a remote area of Afghanistan but only found Bergdahl’s sleeping bag that had been neatly folded up.

 It also claimed that he did not breach the perimeter wire and left by possibly hiding in a contractor’s vehicle meaning that he would have planned the escape in advance.

 A huge search ensued during which time at least six US soldiers are said to have died while hunting for Bergdahl, 28, who has just been released from five years in captivity with the Taliban.

 Read the full story:  www.dailymail.co.uk

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U.S. Army Will Not Look Away From Any Bergdahl Misconduct: Dempsey --There will be an investigation

June 03, 2014 David Brunnstrom , Doina Chiacu 0 Comments
General Martin Dempsey
By David Brunnstrom, Doina Chiacu, Lisa Von Ahn and Sofina Mirza-Reid, Jun. 3, 2014, Reuters.com

(Reuters) - The U.S. Army will not ignore any misconduct by released Taliban detainee Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, but he should be considered innocent until proven guilty, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

"The questions about this particular soldier's conduct are separate from our effort to recover ANY U.S. service member in enemy captivity," General Martin Dempsey said in a posting on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

Bergdahl, held for nearly five years in Afghanistan, was freed last week in a prisoner-swap deal with the Taliban brokered by the Qatari government. Five Taliban militants were released from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and flown to Qatar.

"This was likely the last, best opportunity to free him," Dempsey said.

The general said the military will question Bergdahl about the circumstances of his capture.

"Like any American, he is innocent until proven guilty," Dempsey said. "Our Army’s leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred. In the meantime, we will continue to care for him and his family."

Bergdahl was captured in unknown circumstances in eastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009, about two months after arriving in the country. Many U.S. government officials say they believe he was seized after walking away from his unit in violation of U.S. military regulations.

On Monday, Republican members of the U.S. Congress said President Barack Obama had set a dangerous precedent with the prisoner swap and might have broken the law.

Fueling the criticism were accusations by some soldiers that Bergdahl was a deserter who cost the lives of several comrades.

Read the full story:  www.reuters.com

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Monday, June 2, 2014

Allen West: Bergdahl’s Father’s Deleted Tweet A Smoking Gun? --A LOT we don't know

June 02, 2014 Allan West , Guantanamo Bay 0 Comments
By Allen West, Jun. 1, 2014, Allanwest.com

Take a look at this tweet from released Army SGT Bowe Bergdahl’s father — which has since disappeared from his account.

Folks, this is either a very bad case of Stockholm Syndrome or something far more nefarious is at stake. Regardless, there is more to this than meets the eye of Obama making a unilateral decision and announcement on a Saturday — when he believes no one is watching.

This is not just going to slip away and we’re not going to get caught up in the emotion of Bergdahl’s release. He wasn’t “captured” — he deserted his assigned post.

Source:  www.allenbwest.com

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‘Working To Free All Guantanamo Prisoners’ Tweet From Account Of Released Soldier’s Father Deleted --WHAT?!

June 02, 2014 Guantanamo Bay , Hostage Exchange 0 Comments
Source:  Twitchy
Read the full story and see the Tweets:  www.twitchy.com

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Bob Bergdahl Now Tweeting For More Guantanamo Releases --That didn't take long

June 02, 2014 Guantanamo Bay , Hostage Exchange 0 Comments
Read the rest of the Tweets:  www.twitchy.com

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