DHAKA: US defence secretary Chuck Hagel has praised US forces in Afghanistan over the release of a US soldier held for nearly five years by the Taliban.

Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 28, was handed to US special forces in south-eastern Afghanistan as part of a prisoner swap.

Hagel met some of those involved at Bagram airbase north of Kabul during a previously unannounced visit, reports the BBC.

In return, five senior Afghan detainees have been released from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.

The Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, has reportedly hailed their release.

‘I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Muslim nation, all the mujahideen and to the families and relatives of the prisoners for this big victory regarding the release of five Taliban leaders from Guantanamo prison,’ he said in a statement quoted by media.

The Pentagon has been criticised for not giving Congress the required 30-day notification before releasing the detainees from Guantanamo Bay.

BDST: 2013 HRS, JUNE 01, 2014