Mullah Omar, the head of the Taliban, doesn’t make statements often. Omar is so reclusive that some have even speculated that he is either dead, or otherwise incapacitated in Pakistan. But on Sunday the Taliban released a statement attributed to Omar, who declared the release of the top five Taliban commanders from Guantanamo a “great victory” for the mujahideen of Afghanistan. 

The five Taliban leaders were undoubtedly among the most dangerous detainees held by the U.S. since the 9/11 attacks. Over the weekend, however, the Obama administration announced that they had been exchanged for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held by the Taliban since 2009. The Taliban had long demanded the exchange as a prerequisite for beginning “peace talks” in earnest with the U.S. The talks have thus far gone nowhere. And it says much about the Obama administration’s approach to diplomacy that the U.S. was willing to drop its preconditions for the talks (including that the Taliban renounce al Qaeda), while the Taliban stuck to its upfront demands.