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Heavy price being paid for Berdhahl’s rescue

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will be tried by a general court-martial on charges he deserted his unit in Afghanistan and engaged in misbehavior before the enemy, the Army revealed this week. For Bergdahl, the trial will settle the question of whether he should be punished for what he did.

But on a more important issue, the consequences of U.S. action in bringing Bergdahl home, the verdict already is in.

Bergdahl walked away from his unit in June 2009, and was either captured by the Taliban or went to them willingly. They saw the value of having him quickly, holding him for five years while insisting he would be released only if Washington handed over five top Taliban leaders who had been in U.S. custody.

In May 2014, President Barack Obama’s administration agreed. The Taliban leaders were freed. That violated a longstanding U.S. policy of not negotiating such deals with terrorists.

Since Bergdahl’s release, the Taliban and other Islamic terrorist groups have stepped up attacks against the Afghan government and U.S. forces in that country – to the point American generals say Obama’s schedule for withdrawing troops needs to be altered to counter the threat.

Beyond any doubt, the Taliban leaders freed for Bergdahl have been involved in that offensive. It is impossible to say how many lives have been lost because Obama freed them.

Doing so was a mistake that should never be repeated – especially to rescue a deserter.

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