Secret U.S. program releases high-level insurgents in exchange for pledges of peace

The United States has for several years been secretly releasing high-level detainees from a military prison in Afghanistan as part of negotiations with insurgent groups

In other words, if the Taliban step up their attacks, the military release Taliban to make them stop...

As the United States has unsuccessfully pursued a peace deal with the Taliban, the “strategic release” program has quietly served as a live diplomatic channel, allowing American officials to use prisoners as bargaining chips in restive provinces where military power has reached its limits.

But the releases are an inherent gamble: The freed detainees are often notorious fighters who would not be released under the traditional legal system for military prisoners in Afghanistan. They must promise to give up violence — and U.S. officials warn them that if they are caught attacking American troops, they will be detained once again.

When the insurgency appears to be gathering steam in certain provinces, for instance, prisoners have been released to alleviate mounting tension.

WashingtonPost

If the violence is escalating in a province, then they release terrorists as long as they promise to give up violence?

That strikes me as crazy.

reply to post by ollncasino


Gee, I guess the US does negotiate with terrorists eh?

How ironic of a situation that is. Although not surprising. As people realize more and more that Afghanistan is a failed mission, and another Vietnam in that sense, the US will try anything and everything to win, save face, or be able to lie about having won for a short time.

Sad really.

~Tenth

Sheer stupidity.........

Ugh, I need duct tape to keep my head from exploding.

reply to post by ollncasino

If the violence is escalating in a province, then they release terrorists as long as they promise to give up violence?

That strikes me as crazy.

As opposed to detaining more which causes retaliation attacks promoting more endless violence? (It's possible). I'm not really privy to the close door meetings so I wouldn't know in this case.

But yeah, negotiations happen with everyone, but governments hate to admit they do it.

It's part of recognizing your enemy and it happens a lot more often than the official stories account for.

reply to post by ollncasino
So if we go to prisons in America and make them promise, really, really promise not to commit crimes anymore then we can let them go.

Right?

So this is the Obama Foreign Policy?

(oh lordy)

Why can't we do the same with our politicians?
If they promise not to lie, cheat, and steal, we won't hang them in a public square.
Sounds fair to me.

Terrorists ALWAYS negotiate with terrorists.

They are two side of the same coin. Look and ye shall see!

reply to post by ollncasino


LL
so Af/Pak is the equivalent of ancient Germania now?
and tribute in slaves and gold are being paid to the "barbarians"? check

soldiers coming home and finding "everything they fought for" has been taken and sold by the banks? check

the wealth accumulating into fewer and fewer hands, the better to force the destitute masses to agree to serfdom? check

smells like empires crumbling

Originally posted by beezzer
reply to post by ollncasino

 

So if we go to prisons in America and make them promise, really, really promise not to commit crimes anymore then we can let them go.

Right?

So this is the Obama Foreign Policy?

(oh lordy)

To be fair, whatever methods the US has now with their prison population isn't really working as it has one of the highest incarceration/recidivism rates in the world.

Originally posted by boncho


To be fair, whatever methods the US has now with their prison population isn't really working as it has one of the highest incarceration/recidivism rates in the world.

That's kinda my point.

Gee, I guess the US does negotiate with terrorists eh?

Can't be any more clear than that.

Promise? Are they really that stupid?

Most of the prisoners that were release from Gitmo showed right back up on the battlefield.

What total and utter nonsense.

Any study/results as to whether or not this tactic has had positive results or are positive results not the goal?

The mantra of “we [any said state] do not negotiate with terrorists” is massively misunderstood by the public at large, negotiation is the only path to peace.

This tactic of releasing individual terrorists to bring the larger group to the negotiating table has been used before. When negotiating with terrorist’s prisoner release is commonly a big demand that can be met by the state, just look at the Good Friday agreement. The public would see a headline like this and immediately be horrified, that’s why its kept secret, however it can be effective.

One example of where this tactic may have had some positive results in the fight against the Taliban is the release of the former senior Taliban member Abdul Salam Zaeef who was released form Guantanamo Bay in 2005 and has since brokered negotiations between he Afghan government and the Taliban. Granted there is no evidence to suggest that he was released under this secret deal however I suspect he may have been based on my knowledge of the Taliban.

So can RFID chips be tracked by ariel or orbital assets?I hear they can inject them without the person knowing they have received it.

Yep! Treat 'em like dogs!
Slip a chip into them at some point and follow their evey move once they leave custody.
You think our spy people didn't think of that little trick?

Originally posted by cavtrooper7
So can RFID chips be tracked by ariel or orbital assets?I hear they can inject them without the person knowing they have received it.

Guess we were thinking along the same lines. I had not read your post before I posted.
'Don't want to steal any of your thunder.