Once the travel ban ends, the five members of the Taliban freed in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will “presumably” go back to the fight, according to the former head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
“The five that are back, presumably they’ll go back to the battlefield, but it won’t change the dynamics,” said McChrystal on CNN Sunday. “It’s not going to change the balance of the effort with five guys.”
The travel ban for the five Taliban members who were held at Guantanamo Bay and exchanged for Bergdahl ends on Monday. Bergdahl was held captive in Afghanistan from June 2009 until May of last year. The travel ban kept the five under house watch in Qatar, but they are free to move around as desired once Monday strikes.
McChrystal also downplayed the importance of the Taliban five, and refused to condemn the swap.
“They were in captivity for a while — they’re not going to go back to a key operational role,” he said. “I say ‘presume’ because you have to assume the worst case in a case like this.”
Bergdahl was charged with desertion in May and could face life in prison. However, McChrystal said it is “hard to make a judgment” about the merits of the swap because, “That’s an American soldier, so getting him back to me is a pretty sacred responsibility.”
