Rep. Mike Rogers: Gitmo Release Has ‘Empowered the Taliban’

Rogers: Gitmo Release Has ‘Empowered the Taliban’ (Washington Free Beacon)

Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.), House Intelligence Committee Chairman, argued the prisoner exchange that will bring Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl home has “empowered the Taliban” and predicts some, if not all of the five Taliban commanders released will fight again.

“We’ve made a serious, serious geopolitical mistake,” Rogers said on ABC’sThis Week. “We’ve empowered the Taliban. The one thing they wanted more than anything was recognition from the U.S. government, so they can use that to propagandize against areas that are unsecure still in Afghanistan.”

“Maybe not all five, but I do believe three for sure, likely four, and that the fifth one is on the fence but will probably play some role in active operations.”