Freed US soldier on Way to Military Hospital in Germany
U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, freed on Saturday by the Taliban after being held for nearly five years, was on his way from Afghanistan to an American military hospital in Germany, a U.S. defense official said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bergdahl was flying to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest American hospital outside the United States. It is located close to Ramstein Air Base. Bergdahl had been receiving medical care at Bagram Air Base, the main U.S. base in Afghanistan.
The release by the Taliban of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl follows months of negotiations mediated by the government of Qatar. Bergdahl underwent a preliminary medical checkup at a U.S. base in Afghanistan Saturday before a flight to a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Sunday he hopes the prisoner exchange will lead breakthroughs in relations with militants. He made the comments after an unannounced arrival at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan to discuss the upcoming withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Officials say Bergdahl’s handover to U.S. Special Forces near the Pakistan border was non-violent.
Hours after the release, President Barack Obama hosted Bergdahl’s parents at the White House and thanked Qatari and Afghan diplomats for their “tireless efforts” to gain the soldier’s release.
Obama spoke alongside Bob and Jani Bergdahl, saying Qatar has given assurances that the release of the five insurgents to Doha will not jeopardize U.S. national security.
Under terms of the swap, the detainees from Guantanamo will be barred from leaving Qatar for at least one year.
The 28-year-old Bergdahl, a resident of the western U.S. state of Idaho, was captured by the Taliban on June 30, 2009 — about two months after he arrived in Afghanistan.
His hometown of Hailey, Idaho had been planning its annual “Bring Bowe Back” event on June 28. But upon hearing of his release Saturday, the event was quickly renamed “Bowe is Back,” and is now planned as a welcome home party.
Earlier Saturday, Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement calling the cost of captivity to Bergdahl and his family “immeasurable.” Kerry also said he spoke Saturday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to brief him on Bergdahl’s release.
Kerry and U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel also expressed appreciation to the emir of Qatar for his help in securing Bergdahl’s transfer.
(Information for this report were provided by VOA and Reuters.)
