The government reportedly suspects that one of the five Taliban detainees released from Guantánamo Bay in return for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl last May has attempted to return to the fight.
Several U.S. officials told CNN that an ongoing U.S. intelligence program to monitor the former detainees’ communications in Qatar, where they were transferred for a year, showed that one of them “reached out” to encourage militant activity.
{mosads}Congress has been notified of the information, but it has not been made public, CNN said.
The suspicions could reignite the debate over whether the exchange of five senior Taliban commanders for Bergdahl was worth it, as well as strengthen opposition to releasing more detainees from Guantánamo Bay.
The administration upset members of Congress by negotiating the swap in secret and ignoring a law to notify them 30 days in advance of any planned detainee transfer from Guantánamo.
The swap also upset some members of the military, including those who served with Bergdahl, who allege that he deserted his post and cost the lives of some who went to look for him.
Since the November midterm elections, the Obama administration has begun a push to transfer the remaining 122 detainees left at the detention facility in Cuba.
The revelations come as the Army is in the midst of deciding what to do with Bergdahl, who was recovered after five years of captivity by the Taliban.
Fox News and NBC News reported earlier this week that the Army planned to charge Bergdahl with desertion, but the Pentagon has vehemently denied that any decisions have been made.
According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 17 percent of Guantánamo detainees have been confirmed to return to the battlefield, while 12 are suspected of doing so.