Bergdahl’s release: Security officials reject ‘not helping US enough’ charge

Washington Post claims Obama administration mulled operation inside Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistani security officials have strongly rejected reports suggesting that the country did not help United States in its efforts to rescue Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, who was finally released earlier this week in exchange for five Taliban prisoners.

“We helped the US in each and at every stage,” a senior security official familiar with the development said on Thursday after certain current and former US officials expressed doubts about Pakistan’s cooperation. A report published by the Washington Post claimed the circumstances of Bergdahl’s captivity forced the Obama administration to decide whether it would be willing to share more intelligence with Pakistan’s government despite concerns about its loyalties, or deploy troops to try to grab the abducted soldier. On each count, the answer from many inside the administration was no. “There were negotiating paths we could have explored other than the Taliban in Doha,” said David Sedney, who until last year served as the Pentagon’s top official overseeing policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“Specifically, putting more pressure on Pakistanis to get him or get us more intelligence. I am not aware of them actually helping us, despite repeated requests. It could have made the possibility of rescuing him more likely,” Sedney said.

The newspaper also reported that the Obama administration had considered carrying out operation in Pakistan’s tribal areas to rescue Bergdahl.  However, it could not go ahead with the idea largely due to lack of actionable intelligence and likely negative fallout of ties with Islamabad.

The Pakistani official, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “That’s the track record of the US… once their work is done, they always try to take credit for that.” He said Pakistan and the US were partners in the fight against terrorism and there was a clear mechanism for intelligence cooperation.

“If they had evidence about Bergdahl’s presence in the tribal areas, they could have shared with us,” the official added. He also cast doubts on claims made by certain former US officials that Bergdahl was held by the Haqqani network in Pakistan. “The US media should pose all these questions to the White House and the State department about when and where Pakistan had helped the US,” another official said.

Pakistani officials also claimed that the country had facilitated the US to establish initial contacts with the Afghan Taliban for the release of American solider as well as reconciliation process.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2014.