Idaho representative calls for prisoner exchange for captured soldier in Afghanistan

Kathleen Kreller | Idaho Statesman

The U.S. government should work out a prisoner trade with the terrorist group holding Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey hostage, Rep. Walt Minnick, D-Idaho, said Thursday.

In an appearance on Nate Shelman's afternoon show on 670 KBOI, Minnick said, "What the family and what I am hoping for is that we can work out some kind of a prisoner trade that down the road might release him but do it in a way that we get him back, but we aren't trading a thousand for one."

The Taliban released a video Wednesday in which Bergdahl pleaded for his freedom, saying that he wanted to return to his family in Hailey and that the war in Afghanistan is not worth the number of lives that have been lost or wasted in prison. At the end of the video, a speaker demanded the release of a limited number of prisoners in exchange for Bergdahl.

The video only inspires further efforts to find the man, the NATO command in Afghanistan said Thursday.

Read the complete story at idahostatesman.com

tool goes here

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

We welcome comments. To post one, you must sign in using either your McClatchyDC login or your login for Facebook, Twitter or Disqus. Just click the appropriate box below.

Please keep your comment civil, short and to the point. Obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. If you find a comment abusive or inappropriate, please flag it for the moderator by placing your cursor on the comment, then clicking the "flag" link that appears. Thanks for your participation.