The administration of the former US President Barack Obama transferred five high-profile Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar, which is known as a terrorism-friendly environment, in exchange for releasing the captured US soldier in Afghanistan “Bergdahl”.
David Ibsen, the executive director of the Counter Extremism Project, said Doha may have had an impact on the return of former Guantanamo detainees sent to Qatar for jihadist activities, including members of the Taliban movement who were exchanged for Bergdahl in May 2014.
At least five former Guantanamo detainees are believed to have ended up in Qatar, which allowed Islamist terrorist groups, such as Taliban, to flourish within their borders and all of the five Taliban-affiliated prisoners.
In March 2015, an American official revealed that at least 3 of Taliban's 5 terrorists who were exchanged for Bergdahl tried to integrate into their terrorist network again. Taliban members rushed into Qatar because of its soft and pro-terrorism government, and Doha facilitated returning to extremism to Taliban’s 5 members and other former Guantanamo prisoners, according to “Breitbart News”.
"Although it is not clear whether Qatar has facilitated the return of former detainees directly to terrorist activities, it certainly failed to adequately monitor the activities of the five Taliban members returning from Guantanamo," Ibsen said.
"Qatar signed a memorandum of understanding with America in May 2014 that obliges it to monitor the five Taliban members’ activities," he added.
A recently published study titled “Qatar, Money and Terrorism: Dangerous Doha Policies” reveals that beside this, the Qatari government provided the jihadists with supported houses and supplies in one of Doha's wealthiest neighborhoods.
Despite that, Ibsen highlighted that a report issued by the US Committee on Armed Services mentioned from the Intelligence on Committee of Congress its statement to the former President Obama then that “the 5 former detainees participated in terrorist activities that threatened the US, allied countries and the US security interests, which is not different from their activities before being detained.”
The study issued by the project mentioned that Taliban’s 5 detainees “are believed to be integrated into the terrorist activities again since they arrived in Qatar.”
According to Guantanamo’s names table, a database “New York Times” got, the American administration transformed at least 6 detainees of Guantanamo to Qatar, they are the five Taliban fighters in 2014 and a Qatari terrorist “Al-Moled” who is related to Taliban and its ally Al-Qaeda in 2008.
Ibsen also said that another detainee belongs to Taliban and Al-Qaeda “Abdul Salam Zaeef” has been working in Qatar since 2011 After the US sent him to Afghanistan in 2005.
The executive director of the Counter Extremism Project told “Breitbart News” that the 5 former Guantanamo detainees moved to Qatar and at least 3 of them are “in the UN Sanctions List and other Governments and intergovernmental organizations”. The project also mentioned that Qatar is the gravity center to the former Guantanamo detainees who are related to Taliban and the high-level members of the terrorist group and their families in general, until Taliban established an official office in Doha.
In a recently published study titled "Qatar: Extremism and fighting against extremism", the non-profit organization noted that "Taliban officials were increasingly present in Qatar since 2010." It confirmed that “senior Taliban officials and their families moved to the country. In Doha, they encountered members of Taliban in the streets."
"For example, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, a former Guantanamo prisoner and Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, is said to have moved from Afghanistan to Qatar in 2011. As Taliban maintained a diplomatic office in Doha until 2014. It was the only office of its kind in the world." it added.
Although the Qatari government claims to close down Taliban’s office in Doha, it’s believed that the terrorist group is still running it, while the project asserts that "Doha hosts Taliban’s political office opened by the group in June 2013." Taliban also reported that the office is the only authorized entity one to conduct negotiations with the movement."
