Taliban Willing to Exchange Captive US Soldier for Gitmo Prisoners - East Idaho News
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Taliban Willing to Exchange Captive US Soldier for Gitmo Prisoners

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Getty W 120810 TalibanSurrender?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1371728287088Majid Saeedi/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The Taliban is offering to exchange a U.S. hostage for five of its members being held at Guantanamo Bay, ABC News has confirmed.

The hostage, U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, has been held in captivity since 2009.

Prospects of the deal will depend on peace talks between the U.S. and Taliban regarding the 12-year-long war in Afghanistan, which were supposed to start on Thursday but have since been put on hold.

The Taliban opened a new office in Qatar earlier this week, raising their flag outside the Doha office and posting a sign that read “the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” which apparently didn’t sit well with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.  

On Wednesday, he abruptly called off all negotiations with the United States and the Taliban on any long term peace deals.

Secretary of State John Kerry called Karzai on Wednesday and assured him that the flag was coming down and that the sign would be replaced.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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