This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-27692636
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Bowe Bergdahl: Video shows US soldier handover | Bowe Bergdahl: Video shows US soldier handover |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Taliban have released a video showing the moment Sgt Bowe Bergdahl was handed over to US forces after five years in captivity in Afghanistan. | The Taliban have released a video showing the moment Sgt Bowe Bergdahl was handed over to US forces after five years in captivity in Afghanistan. |
| The footage shows him sitting in a pick-up truck, before being walked to a helicopter in Khost province. | The footage shows him sitting in a pick-up truck, before being walked to a helicopter in Khost province. |
| The US soldier was freed on Saturday in exchange for the release of five Guantanamo Bay detainees. | The US soldier was freed on Saturday in exchange for the release of five Guantanamo Bay detainees. |
| The deal has caused controversy in the US, with Republicans warning it could put American lives at risk. | The deal has caused controversy in the US, with Republicans warning it could put American lives at risk. |
| The army has said it would review the circumstances surrounding Sgt Bergdahl's capture in 2009. | The army has said it would review the circumstances surrounding Sgt Bergdahl's capture in 2009. |
| The top-ranking US military officer, Gen Martin Dempsey, also raised the possibility that the soldier could be prosecuted if he had abandoned his post before his seizure. | The top-ranking US military officer, Gen Martin Dempsey, also raised the possibility that the soldier could be prosecuted if he had abandoned his post before his seizure. |
| Sgt Bergdahl, from Hailey, Idaho, is in a stable condition in a military hospital in Germany. | |
| White flag | White flag |
| The video, released on Wednesday, shows the soldier dressed in traditional Afghan clothing as he sits waiting in the truck. | The video, released on Wednesday, shows the soldier dressed in traditional Afghan clothing as he sits waiting in the truck. |
| Several armed men with covered faces are seen standing next to the vehicle and on the hillside. | Several armed men with covered faces are seen standing next to the vehicle and on the hillside. |
| A Black Hawk helicopter then lands and the Taliban fighters - one of whom carries a stick with a white flag - lead Sgt Bergdahl to a meeting point where he is being taken away by US forces. | A Black Hawk helicopter then lands and the Taliban fighters - one of whom carries a stick with a white flag - lead Sgt Bergdahl to a meeting point where he is being taken away by US forces. |
| The exchange took place in Ali Sher district of Khost province near the Pakistan border. | The exchange took place in Ali Sher district of Khost province near the Pakistan border. |
| Since Sgt Bergdahl's release, a growing chorus of opposition Republicans have criticised President Barack Obama's decision to agree to the prisoner swap. | Since Sgt Bergdahl's release, a growing chorus of opposition Republicans have criticised President Barack Obama's decision to agree to the prisoner swap. |
| They have described it as a deal with terrorists, and say the transfer of five Taliban senior prisoners from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Qatar, was endangering Americans. | They have described it as a deal with terrorists, and say the transfer of five Taliban senior prisoners from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Qatar, was endangering Americans. |
| Some also accused Mr Obama of contravening a law requiring the White House to notify Congress 30 days in advance of any transfers of prisoners from Guantanamo. | |
| 'Sacred rule' | |
| But the president defended his decision, saying America had a "pretty sacred rule" not to leave soldiers behind. | |
| "We don't leave our men or women in uniform behind and that dates back to the earliest days," he said. | "We don't leave our men or women in uniform behind and that dates back to the earliest days," he said. |
| The administration argued that delaying the soldier's transfer to comply with congressional rules could have put the deal at risk. | |
| The circumstances of Sgt Bergdahl's capture remain unclear, with speculation he may have walked away from his base out of disillusionment with the US campaign. | |
| "When he is able to provide the facts, we'll learn what happened," said Gen Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. | |
| "Like any American, he is innocent until proven guilty. Our Army's leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred. In the meantime, we will continue to care for him and his family." | |
| Sgt Bergdahl's parents - who have relentlessly campaigned for his release - earlier confirmed they still had not spoken to their son. | |
| His father said the soldier would be flown to an army medical centre in Texas, following medical treatment in Germany. | |
| Who are the Guantanamo detainees? |