Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has issued a rare public statement hailing the exchange of five Guantanamo Bay detainees for a Taliban-held US soldier as a "big victory".
Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, 28, was handed to US forces in Afghanistan on Saturday.
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has defended the exchange amid criticism Congress was not given 30 days' notice before the detainees were released.
"I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Muslim nation," said Mullah Omar, who has made no public appearances or speeches since fleeing Afghanistan in 2001 when US-led forces toppled the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks in the US.
The five senior Afghan detainees are thought to be the most senior Afghans held at the US detention facility in Cuba, having been captured during America's military campaign in 2001.
The BBC's David Loyn, in Kabul, says the Taliban leader's words will enrage President Barack Obama's Republican opponents, who see the decision to release the detainees as giving way to terrorists.
The Pentagon has also been criticised for not giving Congress the required 30-day notification before releasing the five.
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