The United States regards the Afghan Taliban as an “armed insurgency” and not as a terrorist outfit – a description it now reserves for the likes of ISIS besides, of course, the Al Qaeda and its affiliates. At a White House briefing on Wednesday, Deputy Press Secretary Eric Shultz, while reacting to questions on Jordan’s reported willingness to release a convicted terrorist in return for the release of its pilots held hostage by ISIS, said: “We don’t pay ransom, we don’t give concessions to terrorist organisations. But in terms of details on the negotiations between the Jordanians and the Japanese, I’m going to refer you to their Governments.”
That prompted a reporter to ask in what way Jordan’s approach is different from that of the United States, which set free five Taliban prisoners last June in exchange for the release of US Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held captive by the Taliban for five years. The White House spokesman sought to give the Bergdahl case a different spin, saying: “Prisoner swaps are a traditional, end-of-conflict interaction that happens. As the war in Afghanistan wound down, we felt like it was the appropriate thing to do.”