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U.S. Considers Releasing Top Taliban Commander

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    Jennifer Griffin reports from Pentagon

  • Duration 2:47
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A top Taliban commander blamed for killing thousands of Shiite Muslims and who may have played a role in a prison uprising the resulted in the death of a CIA officer.

Could be leaving gitmo and heading back to Afghanistan.

As part of an exchange.

Fox News is out confirming today the Obama administration is considering this release.

As part of an effort to breathe new life into stalled peace talks with the Taliban.

Jennifer Griffin is live at the Pentagon Jennifer everybody acknowledges this is high stakes stuff what are you hearing.

Well it's high stakes and first we -- hearing and we heard vice president Joseph Biden.

Stay in recent days that the Taliban are not our enemy that got a lot of attention and cobble.

Now we can confirm.

From US officials that the White House is considering the release of Mohammed fossil who is a high risk detainee -- Guantanamo Bay.

He is -- Taliban commander.

He and five.

Taliban commanders who were among the first prisoners at Guantanamo Bay captured shortly after 9/11 back when.

US forces teamed up with the northern alliance to overthrow the Taliban.

Basel is considered high risk because he is wanted as you mentioned for the murder of hundreds if not thousands of Afghan Shiite Muslims and hazaras.

Between 1998.

And 2001 as a Taliban commander John.

What about the Pentagon and the intelligence community folks who they think that giving this guy back to the Afghans as good idea.

Well they're pretty tight lipped here at the Pentagon about this but certainly.

Officials I've spoken to had.

I have serious concerns right now the spokesman George Little of the -- -- Issued this statement quote the United States continues to support an Afghan led process of reconciliation that would in the insurgency.

We and the Afghan government have been clear about the conditions that would need to be met.

Insurgents would need to break from al-Qaeda abandon violence and abide by the Afghan constitution.

But the deal is getting attention on Capitol Hill John.

Because it is a political hot potato.

-- was captured him -- -- Shareef.

Near the prison where CIA operative Johnny Mike Spann was killed you'll remember he was the first US casualty of the war he's a legend in these -- here at the Pentagon.

President Karzai is not happy about these stalled reconciliation.

Talks.

He was not happy when it was revealed that the US was encouraging the Taliban to open an office in Qatar.

And Karzai has pulled back from those talks so now the leak that.

Mohammed fossil could be among those that that US releases from Guantanamo Bay that's not likely.

To give President Karzai confidence.

About this reconciliation process with the Taliban John all right monumental stuff -- Jennifer Griffin keep an island thank you.

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