Thread: Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, held by militants in Afghanistan war being freed

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, held for nearly 5 years by militants in Afghanistan war, is being freed, White House says.
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, held for nearly 5 years by militants in Afghanistan war, is being freed, White House says.

Bowe Bergdahl, U.S. soldier held in Afghanistan, freed in swap

By Ray Sanchez and Barbara Starr, CNN
updated 2:40 PM EDT, Sat May 31, 2014
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Parents say they are "joyful and relieved"
• American soldier captured by Taliban in June 2009
• Five detainees are being sent from Guantanamo to Qatar in exchange

(CNN) -- Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the American soldier held captive for nearly five years by militants during the Afghanistan war, has been releasedin exchange for five Guantanamo detainees, authorities said Saturday.

"Today the American people are pleased that we will be able to welcome home Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl," the White House said in a statement.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said in a separate statement that he had informed Congress of the decision to transfer five detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar in exchange for Bergdahl, who was the only remaining American soldier captured from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"A few hours ago, the family of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was informed by President Obama that their long wait for his return will soon be over," Hagel said.

Photos: Americans detained abroad



Bergen: 'It's been a long time coming'
"Sgt. Bergdahl is now under the care of the U.S. military after being handed over by his captors in Afghanistan. We will give him all the support he needs to help him recover from this ordeal, and we are grateful that he will soon be reunited with his family."

A statement from Bergdahl's parents, Bob and Jani, said: "We were so joyful and relieved when President Obama called us today to give us the news that Bowe is finally coming home! We cannot wait to wrap our arms around our only son. We want to thank Bowe's many supporters in Idaho, around the nation and around the world. We thank the Amir of Qatar for his efforts. And of course, we want to take this opportunity to thank all those in the many U.S. Government agencies who never gave up. Today, we are ecstatic!"

Secretary of State John Kerry said the "cost of years of captivity to Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl and his family is immeasurable."

"As we look to the future in Afghanistan, the United States will continue to support steps that improve the climate for conversations between Afghans about how to end the bloodshed in their country through an Afghan-led reconciliation process," Kerry said in a statement.

A senior Defense official told CNN that the U.S. military recovered Bergdahl from his captors about 10:30 a.m. ET in a peaceful handover in eastern Afghanistan. U.S. special operations forces conducted the mission. There were 18 Taliban members present.

The official said that once on the U.S. helicopter, Bergdahl, 28, used a paper plate to communicate because of the noise. He wrote on it, "SF?" meaning, "Special Forces?" The operators sitting with Bergdahl responded loudly: "Yes, we've been looking for you for a long time."
Bergdahl broke down crying, the official recounted.

In exchange for Bergdahl's release, five detainees at Guantanamo Bay will be released to Qatar. The U.S. has "appropriate assurances" that Qatar will be able to secure the detainees there, where they are under a travel ban for a year.

Hagel said the United States "coordinated closely with Qatar to ensure that security measures are in place and the national security of the United States will not be compromised."

The United States believes Bergdahl had been held for the bulk of his captivity in Pakistan, the official said. It was unclear when he was moved to Afghanistan.

The transfer was brokered through the local Qatari government, the official said. Talks for the transfer began about a week ago.

U.S. officials had said this year that one route to getting Bergdahl back was through Qatari officials, who had been talking to the Taliban. But Bergdahl was believed to be held by operatives from the Haqqani network, an insurgent force affiliated with the Taliban and al Qaeda, and it was not clear whether Haqqani operatives would abide by any agreement among the United States, Qatar and the Taliban.

For now, Bergdahl is at a forward operating base in Afghanistan.
Bergdahl's parents happened to still be in Washington, having visited for Memorial Day.

President Obama said in the White House statement, "On behalf of the American people, I was honored to call his parents to express our joy that they can expect his safe return, mindful of their courage and sacrifice throughout this ordeal."

Bergdahl was deployed to Afghanistan in May 2009 and captured by the Taliban on June 30, 2009, in Paktika province.

In July of that year, a U.S. military official said the soldier was being held by the clan of warlord Siraj Haqqani.

The United States has long declared that it won't negotiate with terrorists, which is what it considers the Taliban, but analysts have said the U.S. has effectively maneuvered around the edges of that declaration over the years.

The Taliban had long demanded the release of five detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But U.S. officials said that releasing them would be difficult because Congress would have to be notified in advance, and lawmakers have previously resisted releasing them.

Bergdahl, of Wood River Valley, Idaho, appeared in diminished health in a video that the U.S. military obtained in January. His family also received a letter from him last year via the Red Cross.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/31/world/...html?hpt=hp_t1

Military to charge Bergdahl with desertion

By Eric Bradner, Barbara Starr and Ed Lavandera, CNN
Updated 2:30 PM ET, Wed March 25, 2015

Washington (CNN)Military officials are set to charge Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for leaving his post in Afghanistan before being captured and held captive for five years, according to Bergdahl's attorney and a congressional source.

The charges are scheduled to be announced at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The decision comes nearly a year after Bergdahl returned to the United States as part of a prisoner exchange and since the Army began a formal investigation into his disappearance from his unit in eastern Afghanistan in June 2009.

The Army concluded its investigation into the circumstances of Bergdahl's capture in December. Until now, it has been in the hands of Gen. Mark Milley, head of U.S. Army Forces Command, who made the decision. Several U.S. military officials CNN has spoken with suggested privately that the process took longer than expected.

READ: Bowe Bergdahl Fast Facts

Ahead of Wednesday's announcement, officials said Milley only had a few choices. Though the sense had been that Bergdahl must be held accountable for his actions, there had been little appetite for a lengthy term in military confinement given the five years Bergdahl was held by the Taliban.

Bergdahl, who's now 28, was taken by the Haqqani terrorist network. But the circumstances of Bergdahl's departure from his base and how willingly he left have not been clear.

Some members of Bergdahl's platoon have criticized him, labeling Bergdahl a deserter.

"I was pissed off then, and I am even more so now with everything going on," former Sgt. Matt Vierkant, a member of Bergdahl's platoon when he went missing on June 30, 2009, told CNN last year.

"Bowe Bergdahl deserted during a time of war, and his fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him."

Bergdahl was freed in May when President Barack Obama agreed to swap five Taliban prisoners who had been detained in Guantanamo Bay to secure Bergdahl's freedom, sending those detainees to Qatar.

Obama announced Bergdahl's release to fanfare in the White House Rose Garden, flanked by the Army sergeant's parents, Bob and Jani Bergdahl. His hometown of Hailey, Idaho, had planned a parade to celebrate Bergdahl's homecoming but later canceled that celebration amid security concerns stemming from the unanswered questions surrounding his disappearance and the resulting controversy over his release.

READ: Bowe Bergdahl returns home -- to a long road ahead

After returning to the United States, Bergdahl had been on active duty at an administrative job at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. There, the Army assigned Bergdahl a "sponsor" to help him adjust to life in his new post. Upon returning, Bergdahl refused to meet with his parents -- and months later, Army officials had said he was communicating with them but still had not met them face to face.

The five figures the United States exchanged to secure Bergdahl's release were Khair Ulla Said Wali Khairkhwa, Mullah Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Norullah Nori, Abdul Haq Wasiq and Mohammad Nabi Omari. They were mostly mid- to high-level officials in the Taliban regime and had been detained early in the war in Afghanistan because of their positions within the Taliban, not because of ties to al Qaeda.

The detainee swap for Bergdahl has become increasingly controversial in recent weeks after a report published by the office of Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said one of the 17 intelligence agencies operating under its umbrella had judged that a prisoner released in the exchange had since contacted the Taliban.

READ: Officials: Detainee swapped for Bergdahl suspected of militant activities

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/25/politics/bowe-bergdahl-charges-decision/