Taliban Ends Talks With US Over POW Release

The Taliban has put the kibosh on prisoner-exchange negotiations with the US, citing the "current complex political situation" in Afghanistan for ending what was considered America's best shot at securing the freedom of POW Bowe Bergdahl, a 27-year-old Idaho native who's been held captive since 2009. The US has recently offered up five Taliban prisoners currently being held in Guantanamo Bay to secure Bergdahl's release; it's unclear what caused the breakdown. As the AP notes, the Taliban statement on the talks' suspension was "terse," while a US source says there wasn't any particular sticking point between the two sides, but declined to elaborate. Says a US embassy spokesman, "Sgt. Bergdahl has been gone far too long; however, we can't discuss the efforts we're taking to obtain his return." (More Taliban stories.)