US soldier freed from captivity in Afghanistan

[Peikko 1,575]

i am suspecting he left to go find them. He had sent an E-mail to his parents saying he ws ashamed of America and did not agree with what they were doing to the people. Then walked off into the night

As Marvin said.. The truth will come out

He left to go find who? The Taliban? Based on what? The fact that he didn't agree with the war, or became ashamed of the continued involvement in Afghanistan? Is that sufficient reason to go wandering off into the night? Sounds nuts to me. It's not like there aren't millions of Americans who want the troops out of Afghanistan, that think they shouldn't be there, but none of them wants to join the Taliban, so why on earth would this guy? If I was in Afghanistan and became disillusioned, I don't think I would just wander off base in the hopes of finding some nice Afghanis to join, not if I was in my right mind.

[Karee 4,191]

Well, at least you admit you are speculating. at least that's something

I'll try it another way. Let's start with what we do know, we know that he left the camp without permission, without weaponry and with very limited personal equipment. We know that the camp was in hostile territory and we know he was alone when he left. What is the most likely explanation for something like that? Based on the questions we know he asked and his known actions, why leap immediately to some kind of conspiracy theory when the most likely explanation is a mental breakdown of some description? I don't know about you, but if I was thinking of going on some kind of spying mission either for or against the US, the last thing I am going to do is ask my superior if he minds if I toddle off base with my military equipment. It simply doesn't sound planned or thought out in any way.

I wasn't implying that he is some kind of Taliban spy. However, it appears that what he did resulted in the deaths of some soldiers who went looking for him. According to some of the media reports anyway.

[Karee 4,191]

It's clear where some have found their speculations. Anyway, from the BBC

Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, 28, is being treated after his release on Saturday in exchange for five senior Afghan Taliban figures held at Guantanamo Bay. The prisoner swap has been criticised by Republicans who warn it could put Americans at risk in the future. How he was captured is unclear, with some accusing him of being a deserter. There is speculation he may have walked away from his base out of disillusionment with the US campaign in Afghanistan. But his hometown of Hailey, Idaho, is preparing to welcome him back as a hero, with a homecoming event later this month. "We love Bowe and we're just glad that he's safe," Stefanie O'Neill, a family friend and organiser, told CNN.

It is unclear how long Sgt Bergdahl will remain in hospital, where he is receiving treatment for "dietary and nutrition needs", the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center wrote in a statement.

line.

The desertion debate

US soldiers belonging to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are silhouetted as they walk during a patrol outside Bagram airbase, 50 kms north of Kabul on 28 February 2009. There are questions regarding exactly how Sgt Bergdahl was captured by Taliban forces in 2009, with some reports indicating that he left his post without authorisation. In the Daily Beast, soldier-turned-journalist Nathan Bradley Bethea details his experience as part of the extensive search-and-rescue effort the US military conducted after Sgt Bergdahl's disappearance - and its cost. "Bergdahl was a deserter," he writes, "and soldiers from his own unit died trying to track him down."

Other soldiers emphasised that the US pledge to rescue captured troops, no matter the cost, is a comfort to those in combat.

Soldiers conflicted on Bergdahl release

On Monday, White House press secretary Jay Carney dismissed the criticism, saying the exchange "was absolutely the right thing to do". "The United States does not leave our men and women behind in conflict," Mr Carney said. Sgt Bergdahl was handed over to US commandos in Afghanistan on Saturday in a rare peaceful encounter between two military forces who have been fighting one another for more than ten years. The five Guantanamo detainees, who have been turned over to the custody of the Qatari government, 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. In an emotional address on Sunday, Sgt Bergdahl's father, Robert Bergdahl, said he was proud of how far his son was willing to go to help the Afghan people, but warned that his recovery would take a long time. Video has emerged purporting to show the Taliban prisoners arriving in Qatar

Several Republicans have spoken out against the deal, warning that it set a worrying precedent and amounted to negotiating with terrorists. On Sunday, Republican Senator John McCain, who was himself held prisoner in Vietnam for years, said the detainees were some of the "highest high-risk people". Mr McCain said the Taliban released were "possibly responsible for the deaths of thousands" and may have "the ability to re-enter the fight", in comments to CBS TV. Questions were raised over the legality of the deal, after the Obama administration did not give Congress the 30 days' notice required by law before initiating the transfer of the Taliban detainees. But US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the military had to act quickly "to essentially save his life".

"We didn't negotiate with terrorists. Sergeant Bergdahl was a prisoner of war. That's a normal process in getting your prisoners back," he told NBC. Jani and Bob Bergdahl spoke of their love and pride for their son, Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, and said he would need time to ''decompress''

The Afghan government, which was not informed until after the exchange had taken place, also condemned it as a "breach of international law" and urged the US and Qatar to "let the men go free"."No state can transfer another country's citizen to a third country and put restriction on their freedom," the country's foreign ministry said in a statement. In a rare public statement on Sunday, Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar described the exchange as a "big victory". But President Barack Obama said that he had received security guarantees from Qatar - which mediated the deal - "that it will put in place measures to protect our national security".They have been banned from leaving Qatar for at least a year. Sgt Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, was the only US soldier being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan. He was serving with an infantry regiment in Paktika province, near the Pakistani border, when he went missing on 30 June 2009.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27670385

So, from this we don't actually know that he did desert although it is quite likely.

I don't trust the BBC. I gets my news from Rolling Stone!

[Pooky 3,847]

We don't know that. We're talking pure speculation at this point. It's either he made a big screw up or he weighed the risk against the gain. Either way, I wouldn't want to be in his shoes.

Had he not negotiated, there would have been folks saying he doesn't care about our service members. Give it time, let everything come out first.

I suspect that the timing of this deal plays a big part in why this happened the way it did. Whether this trade was driven by genuine humanitarian concern, legitimate intelligence reasons, or political expediency, I suspect we will find out eventually.

One thing is sure, though. The President just handed the GOP a gold-plated controversy to talk about, five months before the mid-terms, when he really didn't need to.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

I suspect that the timing of this deal plays a big part in why this happened the way it did. Whether this trade was driven by genuine humanitarian concern, legitimate intelligence reasons, or political expediency, I suspect we will find out eventually.

One thing is sure, though. The President just handed the GOP a gold-plated controversy to talk about, five months before the mid-terms, when he really didn't need to.

and he also just handed the Taliban it's starting line up and embolden our enemy

[Peikko 1,575]

I wasn't implying that he is some kind of Taliban spy. However, it appears that what he did resulted in the deaths of some soldiers who went looking for him. According to some of the media reports anyway.

I am sure that's possible and what he did was entirely irresponsible, but I doubt he was in his right mind when he did it. Of course, there are those that think the father's beard, weird last name, criticism of Bush Afghan policies and learning Pashtu and Arabic to send a direct appeal to the Taliban/ his son's captors are evidence of something sinister. However, apparently he is a good god fearing christian who still goes every Sunday, hey ho hum.

I don't trust the BBC. I gets my news from Rolling Stone!

There are far worse news outlets. Nicely patriotic

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

I don't trust the BBC. I gets my news from Rolling Stone!

Not a family friendly post. God Bless you

[Karee 4,191]

There are far worse news outlets. Nicely patriotic

TBH I mostly watch Al Jazeera America now. Mostly news and little commentary. I used to watch BBC for the same reasons when I lived in Thailand. The odd thing is that in all my travels throughout Asia, the only country where I saw Fox News was Pakistan. Still scratching my head over that one, although they do have a lot in common with all the religious nuttery.

[Karee 4,191]

To add to the media thing, the only English news channel I could get in Bangkok last month at the hotel was Russia Today. That network made Fox news look fair and balanced.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

To add to the media thing, the only English news channel I could get in Bangkok last month at the hotel was Russia Today. That network made Fox news look fair and balanced.

Just saw some of his platoon mates on TV. they said he took a compass, water,food and cell phone and snuck under the wire. Called back later to tell them he was deserting. This is whole thing is BS. It is also clear Obama broke the law.

[Leatherneck 693]

Members of his platoon were made to sign a non disclosure agreement about his going under the wire until he was released.

The guy boxed up his personal gear and mailed it home. Why do that if your unit was not rotating out of the theater?

[Peikko 1,575]

To add to the media thing, the only English news channel I could get in Bangkok last month at the hotel was Russia Today. That network made Fox news look fair and balanced.

Somehow, this does not surprise me

Just saw some of his platoon mates on TV. they said he took a compass, water,food and cell phone and snuck under the wire. Called back later to tell them he was deserting. This is whole thing is BS. It is also clear Obama broke the law.

You should try reading some deserter stories sometime, the ones from world war one are especially thought provoking.

[GandD 5,966]

I'm really enjoying the lighter side of "the truth"

[Peikko 1,575]

I'm really enjoying the lighter side of "the truth"

I am experimenting with a less curmudgeonly persona. You never know, I might like it

[GandD 5,966]

I am experimenting with a less curmudgeonly persona. You never know, I might like it

**Fingers crossed**