Report: Obama Agreed To Release High-Ranking Taliban Leaders From Gitmo In Exchange For Taliban Opening Office In Qatar…
Jaw, meet floor.
(Guardian) — The US has agreed in principle to release high-ranking Taliban officials from Guantánamo Bay in return for the Afghan insurgents’ agreement to open a political office for peace negotiations in Qatar, the Guardian has learned.
According to sources familiar with the talks in the US and in Afghanistan, the handful of Taliban figures will include Mullah Khair Khowa, a former interior minister, and Noorullah Noori, a former governor in northern Afghanistan.
More controversially, the Taliban are demanding the release of the former army commander Mullah Fazl Akhund. Washington is reported to be considering formally handing him over to the custody of another country, possibly Qatar.
The releases would be to reciprocate for Tuesday’s announcement from the Taliban that they are prepared to open a political office in Qatar to conduct peace negotiations “with the international community” — the most significant political breakthrough in ten years of the Afghan conflict.
The Taliban are holding just one American soldier, Bowe Bergdahl, a 25-year-old sergeant captured in June 2009, but it is not clear whether he would be freed as part of the deal.
“To take this step, the [Obama] administration have to have sufficient confidence that the Taliban are going to reciprocate,” said Vali Nasr, who was an Obama administration adviser on the Afghan peace process until last year. “It is going to be really risky. Guantánamo is a very sensitive issue politically.”
Nasr, now a professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, said the Taliban announcement on the opening of an office in Qatar was a dramatic breakthrough.
Posted by ZIP on Tuesday, January 3, 2012, at 5:56 pm | 
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Not even Mitt Romney would entertain such a fool notion – not unless we return them via chuteless paradrop,
Wow, just wow. Jaw meet floor is right.
The taliban had an office in Queens, NYC on 9/11. We all know how that worked out.
Family helps family..
Tuft’s, eh? If memory serves that is where Samantha Power went to school. Can’t wait for the predictable surprises that will result from this. Hate cannot adequately describe the contempt I have for this administration.
I can’t believe they are doing this out of stupidity.
It has to be TREASON!
As I said yesterday, back to where we were on Sept 10 2001. What a travesty.
kind of in the same vein as Ron Paul saying Santorum is “very liberal”
We need to open a Taliban office in Gitmo and the major sport should be water boarding the leaders at least five times a day.
Ron Paull probably seen nodding in agreement
O’Blamey creating a new Osama Bin Laden that he can take out to get a bump in the polls before the November elections?
My God every service person who has been killed by the Taliban has just been spit on and pissed on and shit on. This includes ALL OF OUR TROOPS AS WELL, wounded and living. Its time for the colored boy to go.HE IS A LIAR
Grassy knoll time…..or book suppository depending on your opinion
Stupid is as stupid does!! And they called W stupid. Compared to this idiot, W was Einstein!!
@GRIZZ:
Oh my,
Make it a 1000 Smart Power
“…the Taliban are going to reciprocate”
But this isn’t negotiating with terrorists!
Doesn’t he realize this will put every non-muslim [not just Americans] in jeopardy, all over the world?
Yes, of course he realizes the consequences. It’s just that being able to use that soldier as a reelection chip is more important.
…and throw in some hacked intelligence cables.
Watch Republicans NOT make this an issue to note how many of our soldiers died to put these savages into Guantanamo in the first place.
Ron Paul nodding in agreement. Plugs Biden getting Valentine Day cards ready for his special friends.
Up next is releasing Moose Slime Bro Hood members from prison to work with local law enforcement to make peace with local gang bangers.
….AND NO RETURN OF BERGHDAHL???????
….FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER KENYAN
There seems to be no limit to what o-hole will do to undermine America.
He is getting bolder and more blatant. It’s like he is taunting us.
What this country needs, more than ever, is a “traditional,” American-type President and not this exotic Asio-African socialist One Worlder who just happens to love Muslims at a time when Muslims are at war with us.
To bad they don’t slip on soap in shower and break their necks before released
His way of closing Gitmo. Release all the prisoners.
So let me see: we let terrorists go, so terrorists can open an office in a major city, so they can appear legitimate. How the Hell is this an “exchange”? Obama is a moron. I hate to go into insults, but dude, seriously. ONLY a moron would agree to something as outright STUPID as this.
@Dapandico
You just nailed it.
Taliban 2, Zero 0. What a brilliant deal!! Maybe Zerobama could get a job with Goldman Sacks…
The things Obama will do to appease the teleban and al qeuda
That one lone American, Bowe Bergdahl needeth the Badass Kyle Man.
“Nasr, now a professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, said the Taliban announcement on the opening of an office in Qatar was a dramatic breakthrough.”
No, it was an idiotic appeasement by the Metrosexual in Chief.
Before we get all frothy about this, we should note that this is a report from The Guardian, a noted left wing rag. It may turn out not to be true.
But if it is true, the House should impeach.
The previous world record for bad negotiating was held by Jimmy Carter.
Recall: Carter went to North Korea to talk them out of building ONE old Soviet model nuclear reactor. He got them to agree not to build the reactor in exchange for us paying them to build THREE more modern design reactors for them. In exchange for us paying for the reactors, they agreed to forego building nukes.
They promptly ignored the deal and went nuclear anyway, but kept the reactors as a parting gift.
So here we see the brilliant Obama negotiating strategy: give them everything they want right up front so we can have leverage later on in the process.
Or something.
This is NOT going to end well.
@Bee1, no, 180 degrees no, Ron Paul is the only candidate who is *against* the Bush-Obama neocon nationbuilding agenda that includes AfPak !
As for this particular article, the timing is all the more notable, b/c the various Taliban groups on the Pakistan side (including Hakimullah’s hold out TTP) just announced uniting to fight NATO & US in Afghanistan.
Obama should throw in Michelle and the girls to seal the deal.
Obama is one brazen bastard… he’s all in, he’s made it clear that he will try to do as much as he can by executive order, before he gets booted out .. he knows Congress, even Democrats, are not with him, but he’s trying to rule with his pen .. looks like he’ll do as much damage as he can..
@GRIZZ
Please be careful. The founding fathers were only kidding about the 1st amendment, and we live in the age of attackwatch.
Fuck this piece of shit gets more and more treasonous everyday.
WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOING?????
Obama will have the blood of our soldiers on his soul if this happens…..
@Loyd says:
January 3, 2012 at 6:43 pm
To bad they don’t slip on soap in shower and break their necks before released.
They have to take showers in order for that to happen and we all know how muslim feel about personal hygiene, except for their feet being washed 5 times a day the rest of the pigs are filthy disgusting scum. My apologies to real pigs.
dinob1 says:
January 3, 2012 at 6:12 pm
Stupid is as stupid does!!
___________
Oh please its not stupid-its intentional….Americans mistake an internal enemy for a stupid president at their permanent peril
Utterly despicable.
Kennedy, the last American democrat, asked “What can you do for your country?” The Kenyan Chicago Jesus asks: “What can I do to this country?”
Maybe he’s making room for the Americans they’ll send there under the NDAA. Sounds like something any legitimate American president would do, doesn’t it?
Not Negotiating with Terrorists seems to be a Republican only thing (unless it’s Ron Paul in the White House of Course). Obama said during the 2008 Campaign even before he was selected as the DNC Nominee, that he would meet with Terrorist Leaders without any Preconditions. That STILL Applies. All this while Michelle Obama goes on iCarly claiming to SUPPORT THE TROOPS. Remember on 9/11/2011, she mouthed “All This for a F**king Flag>” then shook her head while rolling her eyes while Obama shook his head yes in agreement. Yeah, they support the troops only when it gives them a good photo op. Then it’s back to stabbing them in the back every chance they get. That’s why gutting the Military was part of the “Super Committee” deal Obama made with Congress. Because he loves our Military. Sigh….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMdC45S79uQ
when are people going to fully admit this purple lipped, bisexual Indonesian muslim is working for the enemies of this nation.
SIC SEMPTER TYRANUS OBAMA
Will the Party of Stupid finally quit its stupid characterization of Obama as “incompetent” and acknowledge publicly that there was a coup in 2008, and the White House is presently occupied by an enemy sworn to bring down this country?
..meanwhile Iran is hiding in the weeds ready to kill us all!!
It hasn’t worked with any other rogue nation or group, so why exactly is President Obama reaching out and making concessions in order to negotiate with the Taliban?
Read the story at The Political Commentator here: http://politicsandfinance.blogspot.com/2012/01/president-obama-has-great-idea-lets.html
“Jaw, meet floor.”
It must be a shocking experience having no memory whatsoever.
7 years of releasing the majority of Guantanamo detainees without charge under Bush could have prepared you for the shock, but somehow didn’t.
Will clearing some brush help soften the blow?
“It hasn’t worked with any other rogue nation or group, so why exactly is President Obama reaching out and making concessions in order to negotiate with the Taliban? ”
Couldn’t you assume it’s for the same reason President Bush was every year of his 2nd term? That Afghanistan ain’t the most awesome place on earth and exactly zero people want to stay there forever.
Again, this memory problem might be a problem. I remember a discussion among COIN guys in 2009 about how worn out the story of negotiating with the Taliban was. Everything Obama is new again! It really is change like he promised. Maybe if he proposes drilling in Alaska you’ll all be against it.
@ Emudude:
“Not Negotiating with Terrorists seems to be a Republican only thing”
You’re hilarious. Apart from the fact that Google has a timeline feature where you can totally check just how frequently “negotiating with taliban” has appeared before and after Obama’s inauguration, Republicans actually set the bar for negotiating with terrorists in the GWOT.
Republicans removed Libya from the state sponsors of terrorism list in exchange for intel. They negotiated this with the actual guy, still the head if Libyan intel, who planned the Lockerbie bombing.
If you think you know of a more disgusting example of negotiating with terrorist from the last 2 decades, you’re mistaken.
Wow – score a win-win for the taliban. I’ll repeat Grizz:
—————————–
GRIZZ says:
January 3, 2012 at 6:28 pm
….AND NO RETURN OF BERGHDAHL???????
….FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER KENYAN
OK; this administration seriously believes that it can discuss a peace aggrement with the TALIBAN !
They believe they can discuss anything with these people?????
Any agreement last until some obscure, crazy, wild eyed 7th century muslim rabi starts talking s**t and it all boils over.
These people fly into a rabid rage over bunper stickers.
This level of insanity must be distroyed not enabled
GRIZZ says:
January 3, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Grassy knoll time…..or book suppository depending on your opinion
_____________________
Easy does it there buckaroo. You don’t want to be channeling that psycho Christopher Titus…just sayin’.
“You know what, man? I am going to literally — if (Palin) gets elected president, I am going to hang out on the grassy knoll all the time, just loaded and ready — because you know what? It’s for my country. It’s for my country. If I got to sacrifice myself, it’s for my country.” — Christopher Titus