#USmilitarypromises #completereview into #BoweBergdahlcapture #Officialsfacequestions over whether #sergeant will be #disciplined for #apparentdecision to #walkawayfrombase five years ago • Bowe Bergdahls father: Im a father who wants his son back Share Tweet this Email Paul Lewis in Washington theguardian, Wednesday 4 June 2014 18.55 BST Bowe Bergdahl release Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, right, stands with a Taliban fighter in eastern Afghanistan just before his release, in a clip from a video released by the Taliban. Photograph: AP The US army has promised a “thorough, transparent and complete review” into the capture of Bowe Bergdahl, whose release from Taliban captivity in exchange for five Guantánamo Bay detainees is threatening a full-scale crisis for President Barack Obamas administration. Military officials, who endorsed the decision to release the five detainees in exchange for the 28-year-old American soldier, have so far given mixed messages about whether he would be disciplined for his apparent decision to walk away from his base five years ago. Bergdahl was captured shortly after he left the base, and spent five years in captivity before his release over the weekend. “It was always a high priority that every soldier deployed to Afghanistan would return home. We will never leave a fallen comrade behind,” the army’s chief of staff, general Raymond Odierno, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Now that Sgt Bergdahl is back and under our control, first and foremost we must ensure his health is taken care of and he is properly reintegrated. At the appropriate time, we will conduct a thorough, transparent and complete review of the circumstances surrounding his capture.” In Brussels, the defense secretary Chuck Hagel said it was unfair to the family of Bergdahl, a private who was promoted to the rank of sergeant in captivity, to jump to conclusions about his conduct on duty. “We dont do that in the United States,” Hagel told reporters at a meeting of Nato defense ministers. “We rely on facts.” Hagel added that the army review would seek to establish how Bergdahl left his unit and was captured by the Taliban, adding: “Its not my place as a former sergeant in the army to decide whos worthy of being a sergeant and who isnt.” On Wednesday, Bergdahls hometown of Hailey, Idaho, said it had canceled plans for a celebration of the soldiers return, citing security concerns and a flood of negative attention. The row over the legality and wisdom of the deal made to secure Bergdahl’s release has intensified in recent days in Washington, where Republicans argue Obama overstepped his authority when he decided to release the Guantánamo prisoners, and that he has put American lives at risk. Much of the focus has turned to Bergdahl, who remains in Germany, where he is recovering from the ordeal, and his father, Robert Bergdahl, who has fought tirelessly for his sons release but made clear his opposition to US military aggression. Bowe Bergdahls father: Im a father who wants his son back. Link to video Critics are describing Bergdahl as a disloyal soldier who should be subject to a court martial if there is evidence he deserted his post. Some former members of Bergdahl’s platoon have gone so far as to speculate that several soldiers were killed in the search that ensued after his disappearance in 2009 although there is no firm evidence to confirm that is the case. Asked on Wednesday whether men had died in the efforts to rescue Bergdahl, Hagel replied: “I dont know of any circumstances or details of US soldiers dying as a result of efforts to get Bergdahl.” In an interview with Yahoo News on Wednesday, retired general Stanley McChrystal, the top US commander in Afghanistan at the time Bergdahl disappeared, defended the efforts to find him and called on people to reserve judgment until the full facts were known. “I think we’re going to have to wait and talk to Sergeant Bergdahl now and get his side of the story,” McChrystal said. “One of the great things about America is we should not judge until we know the facts. And after we know the facts, then we should make a mature judgment on how we should handle it.” McChrystal was also asked whether he would have made the same prisoner swap deal with the Talban. He replied: “We don’t leave Americans behind. That’s unequivocal.” The controversy intensified on Wednesday when the Taliban released a video showing the moment Bergdahl was handed over to US special forces in the Bati in Ali Sher district of eastern Khost province, near the Pakistani border. The film showed a tense exchange, and elements of it are likely to inflame the debate surrounding the decision to enter into an agreement with the Taliban, brokered via Qatar. At one point in the video, one of the US soldiers retrieving Bergdahl shakes hands with two of his Taliban guards – an image likely to irritate the White House. They are then shown waving as they return to a military helicopter. theguardian/world/2014/jun/04/military-review-bowe-bergdahl-capture?guni=Article:promo%20**Most%20viewed:microapp%20zeitgeist:Most%20Viewed%20Old%20Promo:Position3
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 22:28:43 +0000
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