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Report: WH secretly releasing high-level Taliban detainees

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    Fighters being used as bargaining chips in peace negotiations

  • Duration 3:37
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Seven Fox News alert on an exclusive new report the Washington Post is reporting this morning.

That the White House is secretly releasing high level Taliban detainee is.

In hopes of peace.

When -- out out America's Newsroom good -- -- you it is not a Monday I'm Martha MacCallum.

Bill Hemmer good morning -- you again Martha what's being called strategic releases uses a bargaining chip.

In negotiations.

Now with the -- -- But what's that -- -- say the prisoners.

-- whether or not they'll just pick up where they left off once they are released here now Peter Brookes.

Senior fellow for national security affairs at Heritage Foundation.

-- welcome good to have -- here.

The morning this article in -- -- this morning quotes a US official.

Telling the Washington Post everyone agrees quote that they are guilty of what they have done and should remain in detention.

Everyone agrees that these are bad guys but the benefits outweigh.

The risks if you release these Taliban members he's high level Taliban -- will is there any hope that they'll negotiate for peace.

Well it's a big question I mean we saw this for the first time this morning to -- this is a secret program.

I wanna know more you want to know more the American people want to know more.

I as if I read the article correctly which has a lot of holes and it obviously is that what they're trying to do and this program may go back even to the Bush Administration is they're saying several years.

Is that they want to use these people to try to gain favor with some of these groups including the -- -- another group called Hezb.

What makes me feel comfortable relatively comfortable with what I know right now Martha is the fact that the military commanders on the ground.

Art involved in this and involved in this decisions right down to who to release.

So that makes me feel a little bit more comfortable but I think it is risky and I think it it certainly is a gamble.

-- on that side -- when you look at it from that perspective.

I mean there has to be sort of a longer term plan.

In Afghanistan in terms of of building a government that is you know more friendly to our our interests certainly.

And it isn't -- do you have to do in some ways pick off some of the group you've been fighting against to have any hope of that.

That's right I think the article has an anecdote in there when they talk about releasing a family member the group has -- lobbies.

And this group turned around and started helping us identify the locations -- -- -- byters.

So you can in a sense divide these insurgent groups know that Connie network from the Thai baht of Thai baht from -- -- Islamic from al-Qaeda you might be able to have more success I mean sometimes we've used unconventional means such as the awakening movement in Iraq.

To help -- move forward with our national security objectives.

Yeah it just just a real quick question on -- direction in terms of what Hillary Clinton just sad she said that Al zawahiri she believes is in Pakistan high level officials in Pakistan say that they.

Cannot confirm that but that she said that's that the US believes what do you think.

Well I guess that's kind of a shot across the bow isn't it of course -- in India which is always very delicate when you talk about Pakistan but of course I think -- say hey.

-- areas in Pakistan Pakistan you better do something about this could we have the capability to do something about it as you witnessed a year ago when Osama bin Laden's I think she's warning them that they said they need to do something.

-- -- she's gonna share intelligence with them but I think that she's pressing them to do was something about solid fury the head of al-Qaeda today.

I'd be something.

Peter thank you very much Peter Brooks thank you up there.

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