WASHINGTON (AP) — That feel-good moment in the Rose
Garden seems like a long time ago. Just a week after the president
announced that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had been freed in Afghanistan, details
emerging about the soldier, the deal and how the rescue came together
are only adding to the list of questions.
Why did Bergdahl leave
his military post in the first place? Should he be punished as a
deserter? Did U.S. troops die looking for him? Was the swap — Bergdahl’s
freedom for that of five Taliban commanders — a good deal for the
United States or the Taliban, or both? Did the U.S. negotiate with
terrorists? Why did President Obama OK the prisoner swap? And why now?
A look at what’s known — and unknown — about saving Sgt. Bergdahl:
THE SOLDIER
On
June 30, 2009, when he disappeared from his infantry unit, Bergdahl was
a 23-year-old private first class who had been in Afghanistan just five
months. Back home in central Idaho, he’d been known as a free spirit
who worked as a barista and loved to dance ballet. After he disappeared,
fellow soldiers recalled, he’d made some odd comments about the
possibility of getting lost in the mountains and whether he could ship
belongings home. Rolling Stone magazine later reported that Bergdahl had
sent his parents emails suggesting he’d lost faith in the Army’s
mission there and was considering deserting. By 2010, the Pentagon had
concluded that Bergdahl had voluntarily walked away from his outpost.
During the five years he was held by the Taliban, he was automatically
bumped up in rank to sergeant. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, says Bergdahl’s next promotion to staff sergeant,
which was to happen soon, is no longer automatic now that he has been
freed.
THE CAPTORS
Within weeks of Bergdahl’s disappearance,
video surfaced revealing that he had been taken captive by the Taliban,
who were embroiled in a bloody battle to topple the Afghan government
and reclaim power. It’s believed that Bergdahl was held in eastern
Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan under supervision of the Haqqani
network, a Taliban ally that the U.S. deems a terrorist organization.
Over the next five years, the Taliban trickled out at least a half-dozen
videos of Bergdahl in captivity. The most recent one was a
proof-of-life video taken in December that seemed to show him in
declining health. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Bergdahl was
held under "good conditions," and was given fresh fruit and any other
foods he requested. He said the soldier enjoyed playing soccer as well
as reading, including English-language books about Islam. Taliban leader
Mullah Mohammad Omar said the swap of Bergdahl for five of his men was a
significant achievement for the organization, which is angling to
increase its influence in post-war Afghanistan.
THE SEARCH
The
Pentagon initially said it was "sparing no effort" to find Bergdahl,
with members of his own unit involved in the hunt for their former
comrade. But the search effort waned after it appeared he had been taken
to Pakistan — out of bounds for American forces. No high-stakes rescue
effort was launched, mostly because of a lack of actionable intelligence
and fears that Bergdahl might be killed during a raid. Instead, the
U.S. kept tabs on him with spies, drones and satellites as negotiations
to get him back played out in fits and starts. Some of Bergdahl’s fellow
soldiers have said he should bear the blame for any deaths of soldiers
killed or harmed while searching for him. The military hasn’t confirmed a
link to any such deaths.
THE DEAL
Bergdahl’s freedom was
negotiated in exchange for the release of five high-level Taliban
officials from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The
five were the most senior Afghans still at the prison, all held since
2002. They are: Mohammad Fazl, whom Human Rights Watch says could be
prosecuted for war crimes for presiding over the mass killing of Shiite
Muslims in Afghanistan in 2000 and 2001 as the Taliban sought to
consolidate their control over the country; Abdul Haq Wasiq, who served
as the Taliban deputy minister of intelligence and was in direct contact
with supreme leader Mullah Omar as well as other senior Taliban
figures, according to military documents; Mullah Norullah Nori, who was a
senior Taliban commander in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif when
the Taliban fought U.S. forces in late 2001. Khairullah Khairkhwa, who
served in various Taliban positions including interior minister and as a
military commander and had direct ties to Mullah Omar and Osama bin
Laden, according to U.S. military documents, and Mohammed Nabi, who
served as chief of security for the Taliban in Qalat, Afghanistan,
according to the military documents.
THE TIMING
Several
factors helped seal a deal after all this time. Interest in bringing
Bergdahl home increased as Obama worked to complete plans for
withdrawing nearly all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which would leave
fewer resources to keep tabs on the soldier and get him out. U.S.
officials say they were increasingly worried about Bergdahl’s health,
although the video they used to justify those concerns was six months
old. Then, this week, administration officials told senators in a
closed-door briefing the Taliban had threatened to kill Bergdahl if the
proposed prisoner exchange became public, requiring quick action. The
administration decided it couldn’t follow a legal requirement to give
Congress 30 days’ notice of plans to release detainees from Guantanamo.
THE COST
Critics
are asking whether one soldier was worth trading for five Taliban
figures, especially when that soldier’s loyalty to the Army has been
questioned. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., complained the U.S. had
released the "Taliban dream team." On the other hand, State Department
deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said the five were likely to be
transferred to another country at some point anyway. So the dealmakers
reasoned "we should get something for them," she said. Still, Rob
Williams, the national intelligence officer for South Asia, told the
Senate Intelligence Committee this week that four of the five were
expected to resume activities with the Taliban, according to two senior
congressional officials who were not authorized to speak publicly
because the session was classified. The officials did not say which
four.
THE PRESIDENT
It was a celebratory moment when Obama
stood in the Rose Garden with Bergdahl’s parents last Saturday to
announce that their son had been released. But the White House soon was
on the defensive both for failing to notify Congress about the
arrangement and for the terms of the deal. Obama cast Bergdahl’s rescue
as an easy call, regardless of how he came to be captured, saying:
"Whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an
American soldier back if he’s held in captivity. Period. Full stop."
THE SECRET
Senior
legislators had been briefed more than two years ago about the
possibility of the prisoner swap, stirring up significant opposition
among both Democrats and Republicans to the idea of trading Bergdahl for
the five Taliban. More than a year went by without further consultation
on the matter, and then suddenly it was a done deal, despite a law
requiring 30 days’ notice to Congress before Guantanamo detainees are
released. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said — before the explanation of
the death threat — that the administration couldn’t afford to wait a
month in a tense, fast-moving situation. "That would have seriously
imperiled us ever getting him out," he said of Bergdahl. The White House
apologized to senior lawmakers for failing to give them advance notice.
THE RULES
Obama
said his determination to bring Bergdahl home was grounded in a "pretty
sacred rule" that the U.S. doesn’t leave behind men or women in
uniform. But his critics say the deal violated another basic U.S. tenet:
Don’t negotiate with terrorists, making it more likely that other
Americans will be snatched as bargaining chips. "Every soldier on the
ground should be upset by this," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich.,
chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The Obama administration
insisted the U.S. didn’t make concessions to terrorists; it simply
negotiated a prisoner swap with enemies, just as has been done in
previous wars. While the Haqqanis are listed as a terrorist organization
by the State Department, the Taliban are not.
THE BROKERS
The
administration made sure that the negotiations that produced Bergdahl’s
release went through intermediaries to keep the Taliban at arms’
length. Enter Qatar, a tiny Gulf state with channels to Islamist groups
relationships with the West. The Qataris served as a go-between for
months, including the intense final days of negotiations. Qatar has an
ongoing role in ensuring the five released prisoners remain there for at
least a year, under a memo of understanding with the U.S.
THE REINTEGRATION
The
military has a program to ease a former captive back into normal life.
In military parlance, it’s known as "reintegration," and Bergdahl, is
working his way through its early stages at a U.S. military hospital in
Germany. Each case is different, and Bergdahl’s is especially
complicated. That is partly because he was in captivity for so long and
partly because he has been — or soon will be — made aware of accusations
that he deserted his post and willingly sought out the Taliban. A
military psychologist who briefed reporters at the Pentagon said
negative publicity can "hugely" complicate the process of preparing a
former captive or hostage for his return home. That would seem to
suggest that Bergdahl faces a potentially lengthy reintegration.
THE FUTURE
At
some point Bergdahl will be transferred to an Army hospital in Texas.
Hagel has cautioned against a rush to judgment against the 28-year-old
soldier. But Dempsey has said U.S. military leaders have no intention of
"looking away from misconduct." There are a variety of possible
offenses related to an unapproved absence, and a number of potential
actions: Bergdahl could be tried by court-martial for desertion. He
could be dishonorably discharged. He could be given a non-judicial
punishment for a lesser charge, such as being away without leave. If
convicted and sentenced, he could be given prison credit for time
already served under the Taliban.
THE POLITICS
The deal may
be done but the politics of the matter are just revving up.
Congressional hearings begin in the next week, and members of Congress
will be eager to criticize the terms of the release and the
administration’s foreign policy.
Despite criticism from both parties,
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Republicans of
playing politics. On Wednesday, he read aloud past statements from
Republicans who said no U.S. service member should be left behind.
THE
PRISON AT GUANTANAMO: The Bergdahl deal underscores the difficulties
that Obama has had in delivering on his 2008 campaign promise to shut
down the U.S. prison. Congress has gradually eased its restrictions on
releasing Guantanamo detainees, but there is still considerable concern
that freed detainees could resume hostilities against the U.S. Of the
remaining 149 prisoners at Guantanamo, 78 have been approved for
transfers to their homelands or a third country, and 30 have been
referred for prosecution. The U.S. says nearly 40 prisoners are too
dangerous to release but can’t be charged for a number of reasons, often
because there isn’t enough evidence against them. Officials have been
trying to chip away at that number with a Periodic Review Board. The
five Taliban released in exchange for Bergdahl came from that last
group.
THE TALKING POINTS
National Security Adviser Susan
Rice said the day after Bergdahl’s release that he had served with
"honor and distinction," a phrase that rankled some who consider his
actions less than honorable. It was Rice’s second problematic TV
appearance, the first being her now-debunked comments after the attack
on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. This time, Rice said
she was speaking respectfully of anyone who volunteered for the
military in a time of war.
___
AP writers Calvin Woodward, Donna Cassata and Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.