Afghan policemen stand next to a captured Taliban fighter after a gun battle on Saturday. Goran Tomasevic/ReutersPakistan Alleges Afghans Are Releasing Taliban Fighters -- Washington Examiner
Afghanistan has been releasing Taliban fighters captured in Pakistan and turned over to the Karzai government, creating a growing rift between the neighbors as they struggle to defeat insurgents, three senior Pakistani officials said.
The releases have made Pakistan reluctant to turn over some top Taliban captives, the officials said. The Afghanistan Embassy declined to comment on the allegation.
The Washington Examiner reviewed classified Pakistani military case summaries on roughly 1,100 captured or killed Taliban insurgents and suspected al Qaeda fighters.
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My Comment: Pakistan's concerns are completely justified. Why give high ranking Taliban fighters and commanders to Afghanistan when they may be released for bribes or favors.
If this report is true, I can now understand why Pakistan is reluctant to handover Taliban's No. 2 leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar to the Afghan Government. Why hand him over if he will be released so that he can return to the fight.
As for the U.S. response to Afghanistan's "capture and release" program, the sad fact is that we are also complicit in this stupidity. In the battle of Marjah US Marines had to release Taliban fighters after 4 days in captivity .... even though these men were working and supporting the Taliban.