31 May 2014 Last updated at 15:59 ET
US soldier Bowe Bergdahl freed by Taliban in Afghanistan
COMMENTS (188)
A US soldier who has been held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly five years has been freed in deal that includes the release of five Afghan detainees, US officials say.
US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 28, was handed over to US forces in good health, the officials said.
The five Afghan detainees have been released from the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
They were handed over to Qatar, which mediated the transfer.
Sgt Bergdahl was the only US soldier being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Officials said he was in good condition and undergoing medical tests at Bagram Air Field, the main US base in Afghanistan.
He would later be flown to a US military medical centre in Germany to "decompress" after his ordeal, American defence sources told the AFP news agency.
'Joyful and relieved'
Sgt Bergahl's parents said they were "joyful and relieved".
"We cannot wait to wrap our arms around our only son," Robert and Jani Bergdahl said in a statement.
In a statement, President Barack Obama hailed Sgt Bergdahl's recovery as "a reminder of America's unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield''.
Officials said the Taliban had handed him over on Saturday evening, local time, in eastern Afghanistan.
Several dozen US special forces were involved in the exchange, they said, which took place near the Pakistani border.
A senior official told the BBC that, once aboard the US helicopter, Sgt Bergdahl wrote "SF?" - asking if they were special operations forces - on a paper plate and showed it to the pilots, who replied: "Yes, we've been looking for you for a long time."
The senior official said: "At that point, Sgt Bergdahl broke down".
The soldier, of Hailey, Idaho, was captured on 30 June 2009, about two months after arriving in eastern Afghanistan.
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said Sgt Bergdahl would be given "all the support he needs to help him recover from this ordeal, and we are grateful that he will soon be reunited with his family".
He thanked the emir of Qatar for his role in enabling the transfer to take place.
On the five Guantanamo detainees, he said: "The United States has co-ordinated closely with Qatar to ensure that security measures are in place and the national security of the United States will not be compromised."
Under the conditions of their release, the prisoners will be banned from leaving Qatar for at least a year, the Associated Press reports.
In January, the US military obtained a new video of Sgt Bergdahl, giving his family renewed hope of his eventual return.
Throughout his captivity, the soldier's hometown had continued to remember him with special events and yellow ribbons tied to utility poles and trees.
As for the police, I don't know the whole story, but is it necessary to do a Special Forces like raid on a home they've already know so much about on the suspect?
