After five years in Taliban captivity, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was handed to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, but some who served with the soldier accuse him of desertion.
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in uniform.
AP Photo/U.S. Army
In exchange for his release, five senior Afghan Taliban figures were released from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Bergdahl was, until his release, the only U.S. prisoner of the Afghan war.
Republicans and others in the U.S. have criticized the move, saying it sets a precedent for the exchange of prisoners of war in the future. Hearings are set to consider if the exchange was legal.
The five detainees released in exchange for Bergdahl were captured during America's military campaign in 2001 and are thought to be the most senior Afghans held at Guantanamo Bay, the BBC reported.
Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar made a rare public announcement, saying the exchange was a "big victory."
IntelCenter on Wednesday Dec. 8, 2010 shows a frame grab from a video released by the Taliban containing footage of a man believed to be Bowe Bergdahl, left.
AP Photo/IntelCenter, File
How exactly Bergdahl was captured remains a mystery, with some saying he walked away from his position because he was disillusioned with the U.S. war effort.
Members of Bergdahl's unit, the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, have come out since his release to discuss what happened, saying they had a direct order not to reveal the situation, since it might further endanger Bergdahl.
A member of Bergdahl's battalion in Afghanistan, Nathan Bradley Bethea, wrote in the Daily Beast : "Bergdahl was a deserter, and soldiers from his own unit died trying to track him down."
Bethea goes on to detail how Bergdahl's overnight station was found abandoned the next morning with his helmet, rifle, body armor, and web gear in a neat stack.
Bethea also details different soldiers who died indirectly because resources were being used to find Bergdahl, as opposed to focusing on the insurgence mission, and names U.S. soldiers who died in reconnaissance missions. Multiple outlets reported that at least six soldiers were killed in attempts to bring Bergdahl home.
from BuzzFeed - Breaking http://ift.tt/1kDFdbW
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