A Timeline Of Bowe Bergdahl's 5 Years In Captivity

00000176-d8fc-dce8-adff-faff728f0003Bowe Bergdahl was born on March 28, 1986 to Bob and Jani Bergdahl in Sun Valley, Idaho. Bowe was raised in neighboring Hailey, Idaho, where his parents still live.On June 30, 2009, then 23-year-old Bowe Bergdahl is widely reported to have walked off his Army base in Afghanistan. Less than a month later, the Washington Post reports, Bergdahl appeared in the first of several Taliban-affiliated videos. In it, Bergdahl "says he was captured after lagging behind during a patrol," writes the Post.Here's a timeline of events.May 2008: Bergdahl enlists in the U.S. ArmyJune 30, 2009: Bergdahl reported missingJuly 2, 2009: CNN reports a U.S. military official says Bergdahl is being held by the clan of warlord Siraj Haqqani.July 18, 2009: The Taliban posts a video of Bergdahl.Dec. 25, 2009: Bergdahl's captor's release a second video of the solider.April 7, 2010: The Washington Post reports that the Taliban "posts a video showing Bergdahl pleading to be sent home and saying the war in Afghanistan is not worth the human cost."June 2010: The U.S. Army promotes Bergdahl to specialist.Dec. 7, 2010: CNN reports Bergdahl's captors release a 45-minute video showing a thinner soldier.Feb. 2011: Bergdahl's captors release another video.May 6, 2011: Bergdahl's father, Bob, posts a YouTube video asking for his son's release.June 16, 2011: The U.S. Army promotes Bergdahl to sergeant.May 9, 2012: Bob and Jani Bergdahl give an interview to the New York Times. The Bergdahls say the U.S. government is engaged in secret negotiations with the Taliban over a possible prisoner swap.June 6, 2013: Bergdahl’s family announces that “through the International Committee of the Red Cross, we recently received a letter we’re confident was written to us by our son.”Jan. 15, 2014: Bergdahl's captors release a proof-of-life video. Still unreleased publicly, the video reportedly shows Bergdahl in declining health.Feb. 23, 2014: The Taliban says it suspended prisoner-swap talks with the United States government.April 24, 2014: The U.S. government says prisoner-swap talks aren't disorganized. May 31, 2014: The U.S. government announces Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was released by his captors in exchange for five U.S. detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.March 25, 2015: Following a U.S. Military investigation, the Army announced Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will be charged with desertion, avoiding military service, and misbehavior before the enemy.This information was compiled from various media reports including The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, The Associated Press, Northwest News Network.

Taliban Release Video Of Handoff That Freed Bergdahl

By Bill Chappell

Published June 4, 2014 at 5:33 AM MDT

A video released by the Taliban shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl being bundled into a U.S. helicopter in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday.

A Black Hawk helicopter swoops in to pick up Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in a valley in Afghanistan, in a video of the handover of the American prisoner of war that was posted online early Wednesday. The Pentagon says it's reviewing the video; a spokesman says there's no reason to question its authenticity.

The handover reportedly took place in eastern Afghanistan's Khost province, near Pakistan. The video shows Bergdahl sitting in the back of a pickup truck, wearing white clothing. It also shows more than a dozen fighters positioned around the valley.

In the video, the Black Hawk helicopter lands with its side facing the area where Bergdahl and the Taliban fighters wait. As several people come out of the helicopter, the American is led toward them under a white flag.

Sky News has posted a raw version of the video that includes the original audio track, with few words in English (updated at 12:20 p.m. ET: the AP initially posted the video, but the agency has since withdrawn it).

The exchange is over in seconds, as the participants hold up their hands to one another. The men — three from the helicopter, and two from the Taliban force — engage in quick handshakes, then they wave their farewells.

All the while, the scene was being filmed, with the photographer featuring the figure of Bergdahl and the helicopter.

"We have no reason to doubt the video's authenticity, but we are reviewing it," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby says. "Regardless, we know the transfer was peaceful and successful, and our focus remains on getting Sgt. Bergdahl the care he needs."

The exchange of Bergdahl for five Taliban prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has sparked a series of questions that range from the circumstances of the soldier's capture in Afghanistan to the legality of the prisoner exchange — members of Congress say they weren't given advance notice of the deal.

President Obama says the White House had spoken "for some time" about a possible prisoner swap for Bergdahl; his administration says it had to act quickly to free him.

A congressional hearing on the matter is slated for next week, NPR's David Welna reports on today's Morning Edition; more are expected to follow.

Yesterday, Secretary of the Army John McHugh said the service is happy to have Bergdahl back. He added that the Army will conduct "a comprehensive, coordinated effort that will include speaking with Sgt. Bergdahl to better learn from him the circumstances of his disappearance and captivity."

Taliban Release Video Of Handoff That Freed Bergdahl

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