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        Hagel to Testify Publicly on Controversial Taliban Prisoner Swap

   by VOA News

   U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to shed more light on a
   controversial prisoner swap with the Taliban when he testifies publicly
   before a House panel on Wednesday.

   Hagel is likely to face tough questions from lawmakers on the House
   Armed Services Committee about the Obama administration's decision not
   to inform Congress about the deal ahead of time.

   Last month, the Taliban agreed to free Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, a U.S.
   soldier held captive in Afghanistan for five years. In exchange, the
   U.S. agreed to free five high-level Taliban prisoners from the U.S.
   military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

   Obama administration officials have been defending a decision to move
   forward on the exchange without providing Congress the required 30-day
   notice before Guantanamo inmates are released.

   Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said there was a "very small, fleeting
   window of opportunity" to safely secure Bergdahl.

   He told reporters Tuesday that the entire national security team agreed
   that operational security was critical to get the job done "safely and
   efficiently."

   Kirby said Hagel was fully prepared to address questions and concerns
   about the U.S. process that led to Bergdahl's release. He said the
   defense secretary would be "forthright and candid" about his
   participation in the decision-making process when he testified before
   the House panel.

   Republican House speaker John Boehner has accused the administration of
   making Americans "less safe" by releasing five high-level Taliban
   prisoners in exchange for Bergdahl's freedom.

   He said he has no doubt lives will be lost because of the prisoner
   transfer.

   Bergdahl is being treated at a U.S. military hospital in Germany. Kirby
   said Tuesday that the soldier has continued to improve and is engaging
   with hospital staff more and more each day.

   However, Kirby added, Bergdahl's reassimilation will be a "long
   process" and he will need time to heal mentally and physically.
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   rsial-taliban-prisoner-swap/1934228.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/hagel-to-testify-publicly-on-controversial-taliban-prisoner-swap/1934228.html