By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/taliban-captive-bergdahl-snuck-military-post-prosecutors-say Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Taliban captive Bergdahl ‘snuck off’ his military post, prosecutors say Nation Sep 17, 2015 1:42 PM EDT U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl intentionally left his outpost in rural Afghanistan in 2009, resulting in his capture by the Taliban, prosecutors said at his preliminary hearing on Thursday. Bergdahl is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. If convicted, he faces life in prison. The so-called Article 32 military hearing – akin to a preliminary hearing in civilian court – also can determine if there is enough evidence to court-martial Bergdahl, 29. The hearing is expected to last several days. “Under the cover of darkness, he snuck off the post,” said military prosecutor Major Margaret Kurz at the hearing in Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban shortly after he left the outpost and released five years later in a controversial prisoner swap for five high-ranking Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Defense attorneys have said Bergdahl didn’t intend to leave the outpost permanently and was trying to find a senior officer to report “disturbing circumstances” in his unit, the New York Times reported. Well-wishers signed a poster on June 2, 2014, for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl at Zaney’s coffee shop in Hailey, Idaho, where he worked as a teenager. Bergdahl was captured in Afghanistan in 2009 while serving with the Army’s 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. He was released on May 31, 2014, in exchange for five Taliban members. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images Bergdahl’s attorney Eugene Fidell said Thursday in the courtroom, “The government should make Sergeant Bergdahl’s statements (about the incident) available to the public, not only just to you.” The day after Bergdahl walked off the base on June 30, 2009, the platoon was supposed to leave the outpost and hand over control to the Afghan National Police, said one of his platoon mates U.S. Army Spc. Gerald Sutton in an interview with the PBS NewsHour shortly after his release in 2014. But instead they had to stay and try to find their missing comrade. Several platoon members have called Bergdahl a deserter but have not gone as far as labeling him a traitor. Some critics are not as restrained, among them presidential contender Donald Trump, who called Bergdahl a “dirty, rotten traitor.” Fidell responded in a statement that Trump’s remarks were “contemptible and un-American. They are a call for mob justice.” Follow @NewsHourWorld We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko produced multimedia web features and broadcast reports with a focus on foreign affairs for the PBS NewsHour. She has reported in places such as Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Haiti, Sudan, Western Sahara, Guantanamo Bay, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Turkey, Germany and Ireland. @NewsHourWorld
U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl intentionally left his outpost in rural Afghanistan in 2009, resulting in his capture by the Taliban, prosecutors said at his preliminary hearing on Thursday. Bergdahl is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. If convicted, he faces life in prison. The so-called Article 32 military hearing – akin to a preliminary hearing in civilian court – also can determine if there is enough evidence to court-martial Bergdahl, 29. The hearing is expected to last several days. “Under the cover of darkness, he snuck off the post,” said military prosecutor Major Margaret Kurz at the hearing in Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban shortly after he left the outpost and released five years later in a controversial prisoner swap for five high-ranking Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Defense attorneys have said Bergdahl didn’t intend to leave the outpost permanently and was trying to find a senior officer to report “disturbing circumstances” in his unit, the New York Times reported. Well-wishers signed a poster on June 2, 2014, for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl at Zaney’s coffee shop in Hailey, Idaho, where he worked as a teenager. Bergdahl was captured in Afghanistan in 2009 while serving with the Army’s 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. He was released on May 31, 2014, in exchange for five Taliban members. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images Bergdahl’s attorney Eugene Fidell said Thursday in the courtroom, “The government should make Sergeant Bergdahl’s statements (about the incident) available to the public, not only just to you.” The day after Bergdahl walked off the base on June 30, 2009, the platoon was supposed to leave the outpost and hand over control to the Afghan National Police, said one of his platoon mates U.S. Army Spc. Gerald Sutton in an interview with the PBS NewsHour shortly after his release in 2014. But instead they had to stay and try to find their missing comrade. Several platoon members have called Bergdahl a deserter but have not gone as far as labeling him a traitor. Some critics are not as restrained, among them presidential contender Donald Trump, who called Bergdahl a “dirty, rotten traitor.” Fidell responded in a statement that Trump’s remarks were “contemptible and un-American. They are a call for mob justice.” Follow @NewsHourWorld We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now