A US soldier held by Afghan militants will not be harmed despite the
Obama administration's decision to declare his alleged captors a
terrorist group, a senior member of the Pakistan-based Haqqani network
told The Associated Press on Saturday.
However, the United States and NATO can
expect stepped up attacks, he said.
The commander, who spoke by telephone from an undisclosed location,
denied that the Haqqanis held the only American prisoner of war of the
Afghan conflict, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, as the US believes. He did
however say that Bergdahl was a captive of another branch of the
Taliban, and denied earlier reports that the 26-year-old soldier from
Hailey, Idaho, was in danger.
"I deny the remarks . . . that this will endanger the life of the
American soldier," the commander said, speaking on condition he not be
identified because field commanders fear being targeted if their
identities are known.
"We are not cowards and we consider it as coward to harm prisoners," he said.
"We are not cowards and we consider it as coward to harm prisoners," he said.
The US says that Bergdahl has been held by the Pakistan-based
Haqqanis since 2009. However, the commander suggested he was with
militants on the other side of the Afghan-Pakistan border.
"The American soldier is with the Emirate center (a reference to
Taliban based inside Afghanistan) . . . The Americans also know it."
He said the Taliban leadership council previously issued instructions
to its commanders, including those belonging to the Haqqani network,
not to harm prisoners.
From his home in Idaho, the soldier's father Bob Bergdahl welcomed the assurances but was cautious.
"That's great news, but we're very careful about the information we
digest," he told the AP. "I'll have to validate that and check that."
The elder Bergdahl said the commander's promise not to mistreat
prisoners "was the position of the Emirate even before my son was taken
prisoner."
Yet the Haqqani commander said the network is planning a series of
retaliatory attacks against US and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the organization's military commander, is seeking
permission from Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar to stage a
blitzkrieg of attacks against US forces in Afghanistan, he said.
"He (Sirajuddin Haqqani) wants to carry out 80 to 100 attacks on US
forces in Afghanistan and 20 attacks on other NATO members," said the
commander in retaliation for the designation. He repeated earlier
statements that the Haqqani network answered to Mullah Omar and was not
separate from the Taliban organization.
But once Mullah Omar signs off on the actions, the commander said,
"we have our consultative and military council which plans attacks."
The commander claimed that the Obama administration had been in touch
with the Haqqani network last year as part of its efforts to broker a
peace deal ahead of the withdrawal of US military troops from
Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
"(US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham) Clinton should have the
courage to tell the Americans about their contacts and even talks with
us," he said.
Congress insisted Clinton deliver a report on whether the Haqqanis
should be designated a terrorist organization by Sunday after a string
of high profile attacks on US and NATO troops.
The US had resisted the terrorist designation because of fears it
could jeopardize reconciliation efforts between the US government and
insurgents in Afghanistan. Src: Hindustantimes
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