Bowe Bergdahl, YouTube Screenshot
Pentagon Got Duped, Made Ransom Payment For Bowe Bergdahl To Con Man -- Washington Times
The Pentagon is under fire for making a ransom payment to an Afghan earlier this year as part of a failed bid to win the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, according to U.S. officials.
Sgt. Bergdahl was released in May after nearly five years in captivity as part of a controversial exchange for five terrorists held at the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The ransom payment was first disclosed by Rep. Duncan Hunter in a Nov. 5 letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Mr. Hunter stated in the letter that Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) made the payment covertly as part of a release deal. But the money was stolen by the Afghan intermediary claiming to represent the Haqqani terrorist network.
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My Comment: This is actually an old story .... GOP lawmaker: US military tried to pay ransom for Bergdahl (The Hill) .... but it should raise eyebrows since the official White House policy is that no ransoms must be paid to kidnappers.