If my son were a prisoner of the Taliban, I would let them make a deal with the Devil to free him. However, my son is not, but he is in the military and in a position where this deal to free a soldier, who may even be a deserter, may put my son's life at risk. Freeing those Taliban prisoners was a painfully stupid idea. Supposing the accounts given by his own platoon are true, this young man walked away from duty, and six of his comrades died trying to find/rescue him. They had parents too. Does no one in government conduct a risk/benefit analysis when planning a deal like this?
Moderator's Note: About a dozen spouts to this effect were submitted. Two were published.