US, Afghans say some Taliban held at Guantanamo could go to Afghanistan in goodwill gesture

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is considering a new gambit to restart peace talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan. The proposal would send several Taliban detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to a prison in Afghanistan.

U.S. and Afghan officials say some Taliban fighters captured in the early days of the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and later sent to Guantanamo would be transferred to a detention facility adjacent to Bagram air field, the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan.

Officials described the proposal on condition of anonymity because it is still under discussion.

They said the idea is to boost the credibility of the U.S.-backed Afghan government as President Hamid Karzai and U.S. officials try to draw the Taliban back to negotiations that broke off in March.