Hagel defends Bergdahl swap

Hagel testified before the House Armed Services Committee in Washington on Wednesday, saying the US Army would review the legal issue surrounding Bergdahl's capture.

The US Army sergeant has been accused by some of his former colleagues of deserting his post. Hagel said the decision to move ahead with the swap was a "tough call."

Bergdahl was captured in 2009 by the Taliban in Afghanistan. He was exchanged in a Qatari-brokered deal on May 31 for five Taliban prisoners held at the Guantanamo Bay Prison in Cuba.

Hagel stressed in the Congressional hearing that Bergdahl was not a "hostage" of the Taliban, but rather a soldier in the hands of an enemy in armed conflict with the US. The government's pledge to recover service members held in captivity, he added, is "woven into the fabric of our nation."

Controversial exchange

Republicans and some Democrats have sharply criticized President Barack Obama's decision to move ahead with the prisoner swap without giving Congress the legally required 30-day notification of any Guantanamo prisoner's release. Other lawmakers have raised questions about whether Bergdahl abandoned his post and the prospect of the released detainees posing a danger to the US.

"In the decision to rescue Sergeant Bergdahl, we complied with the law, and we did what we believed was in the best interests of our country, our military, and Sergeant Bergdahl," Hagel insisted to Congress.

The US defense chief did concede that the White House "could have done a better job" keeping lawmakers informed of the situation. But he added that it was an "extraordinary situation" that could have been jeopardized if not kept secret.

Hagel said the Qatari officials negotiating Bergdahl's release told the US that "time was not on our side" and that any leak about the exchange would sabotage the deal.

Republican backlash

The Committee's Republican chairman, Buck McKeon, slammed the decision as "deeply disturbing" in his opening remarks.

"This transfer sets a dangerous precedent in negotiating with terrorists," he said. "It reverses longstanding US policy and could incentivize other terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda, to increase their use of kidnappings of US personnel."

Hagel said the five prisoners released were "enemy belligerents" who had not been implicated in any attacks against the US. The US had faith in the security measures Qatar would take to limit any risk to US citizens, he added.

The Taliban prisoners exchanged for Bergdahl had been held at Guantanamo for more than a decade. Under the terms of the deal, they must remain in Qatar for a year.

dr/jr (AFP, AP, Reuters)