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| Taliban-held U.S. soldier released in exchange for Afghan detainees | Taliban-held U.S. soldier released in exchange for Afghan detainees |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only U.S. service member known to be held hostage in Afghanistan, was handed over Saturday morning by members of the Taliban in exchange for five Afghan detainees held at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, U.S. officials said. | |
| The deal was brokered by the government of Qatar, which has agreed to host the five Taliban inmates in the Gulf emirate for at least one year. The inmates are expected to travel to Doha on Saturday. | |
| “Sergeant Bergdahl’s recovery is a reminder of America’s unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield,” President Obama said in a statement the White House issued Saturday morning, shortly after he delivered the news to the soldier’s parents. “And as we find relief in Bowe’s recovery, our thoughts and prayers are with those other Americans whose release we continue to pursue.” | |
| After the soldier was aboard a helicopter, he grabbed a paper plate and wrote the letters “SF?” inquiring whether the troops he was with were Special Forces, a senior Defense Department official said. | |
| “Yes,” one of the members of the team responded. “We’ve been looking for you for a long time.” | |
| Bergdahl broke down in tears. | |
| The prisoner swap deal, which the Obama administration has pursued for several years, began gaining traction last fall after members of the Taliban indicated they were amenable to negotiating on that narrow issue, but through intermediaries. | |
| Bergdahl, who was believed to be in the custody of the Haqqani network, a hard-line faction of the Taliban, was handed over peacefully to a team of Special Operations troops in an unspecified location in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said. | |
| The soldier, who went missing after walking off his base in June 2009, appeared to be in relatively good health, and was walking when U.S. troops swooped down in helicopters to meet his captors. | |
| U.S. officials said they are hopeful this step could open the door for the resumption of peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, but they cautioned that the militant group has not indicated it is willing to engage in broader negotiations. |