Officials: Taliban threat to kill Bergdahl if swap leaked drove US urgency

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration has told U.S. senators it did not notify Congress about the pending swap of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban officials because the Taliban had threatened to kill him if the deal was made public before it happened. That’s according to three congressional officials who spoke to The Associated Press.

The officials said Thursday that the threat — not just concerns that the captive’s health might be failing —drove the Obama administration to quickly make a deal to rescue Bergdahl. The threat had been transmitted by Qatari officials at the height of the negotiations.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel was referring in part to the threat when he said Sunday that “there was a question about his safety,” the officials told the senators in a closed-door briefing on Wednesday.