Gannon, who has covered war and unrest in Afghanistan and Pakistan for more than two decades, has reported extensively in recent years about intermittent U.S.-Taliban contacts and efforts to win Bergdahl's freedom.
「Kathy Gannon was one of the first reporters to find out about the early U.S. contacts with the Taliban,」 said AP Senior Managing Editor for International News John Daniszewski. 「We are very happy to bring her expertise, knowledge and analysis again to the AP's global audience.」
In August 2011, AP named three of the Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay now swapped for Bergdahl, who was said at that time to have 「featured prominently in the talks」 between the U.S. and a personal emissary of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.
The final list of fighters whose release was being sought by the Taliban appeared last June, as part of an AP Exclusive on the details of the proposed swap (「Taliban offer to free U.S. soldier」). They are the same five flown from Guantanamo to Qatar, a tiny Gulf Arab country that served as a mediator between the two sides.
Among the other stories by Gannon on the Taliban-Bergdahl discussions was one describing a breakdown in contact early this year.