New footage released today by the Taliban shows the transfer of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to U.S. authorities after five years in the hands of the terrorist group.
Bergdahl was released on May 31 in Afghanistan, and was flown to an Army hospital in Germany.He will return to the U.S. when his treatment is complete.
The video shows Bergdahl, wearing white clothing and appearing quite gaunt. A Black Hawk helicopter lands, and Special Forces soldiers jump out. The men approach the militants, who are waving a white flag, and shake their hands. Bergdahl is patted down twice before being loaded onto the chopper.
The 28-year-old walked away from his unit on June 30, 2009, according to "incontrovertible" Pentagon reports. Bergdahl, who was a private first class when he was captured, e-mailed his parents days before his desertion expressing disillusionment with America, the War on Terror, and his military service.
"The system is wrong. I am ashamed to be an American. And the title of US soldier is just the lie of fools," he wrote to his parents. He also mailed them his computer and other personal belongings in the days before his disappearance.
The Pentagon has said that Bergdahl well-being and release were tantamount to pursuing punitive action against him. "Like any American, he is innocent until proven guilty," U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen.
Martin Dempsey wrote on Facebook. "Our Army's leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred. In the meantime, we will continue to care for him and his family."
Bergdahl was turned over to the U.S. in exchange for five senior Taliban leaders being released from Guantanamo Bay.
The men will be held in Qatar for at least one year before being allowed to go back to Afghanistan.
While the decision has faced considerable backlash, President Obama defends his choice. "The United States has always had a pretty sacred rule -- and that is, we don't leave our men or women in uniform behind," he said in a Tuesday press conference.
