The US is in talks with Qatar on extending restrictive conditions on five Taliban militants who were released from the Guantanamo Bay detention centre last year and have been living in the Gulf country since then, the White House said today.
"There are conversations between the United States and Qatar ongoing about a longer-term resolution of the status of these individuals," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
He was responding to questions on a statement by the Taliban that the five of its members who were released from Guantanamo Bay last year and are currently in Doha are free to go.
"The United States is obviously very interested in making sure that steps are taken to mitigate the risk to the United States that's posed by these individuals," Earnest said.
The agreement that the United States has is not with the Taliban, it's with Qatar, he said.
"It is the government of Qatar that, at the request of the United States, has put some restrictive conditions on the individuals that were transferred from the prison at Guantanamo Bay," he noted.
Refraining from talking publicly about these restrictive conditions, Earnest said the goal of these talks with the Qatari government is to making sure that there are measures in place to protect the American people and the US and its interests.
"What exact form those restrictions take is something that we'll discuss with the Qataris, but probably not be able to discuss publicly, even after an agreement's reached," Earnest said.
