U.S. soldier released by Taliban returns to active duty

One step closer to normal: just six weeks of his release after spending nearly five years in the hands of the Taliban, American Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, 28, returns to active duty, who will be by the time at a military base in Texas, confirmed Monday the Pentagon.

“The Sergeant Bergdahl has completed the final phase of the reintegration process” and “now return to active duty,” said a terse official statement, which stressed that this does not mean that we have shelved the investigation into the mysterious circumstances it was captured by the Taliban.

“The Army investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding the disappearance and capture Bergdahl continues”, says the Pentagon.

It is unclear how advanced the investigation started shortly after the news of the release of Bergdahl, announced by President Barack Obama himself on 31 May, and overshadowed by serious allegations of desertion by some of his former colleagues in Afghanistan.

The circumstances of Bergdahl release, achieved through an exchange of five Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo have also been a source of heavy criticism.

The U.S. military announced in mid June, the start of an investigation into the disappearance of Bergdahl’s on June 30, 2009, while serving in a position in service – Lalak Mest in the Afghan province of Paktika. Leading the investigation is Major General Kenneth Dahl, an officer with “combat experience” in Afghanistan, as highlighted at the time.

Is not specified if the new reintegration phase of Bergdahl, Sergeant will be questioned by Dahl. At the time, the Pentagon said it would not happen until the recovery team to give its approval. However, according to the American press, in recent weeks Bergdahl did participate in interrogations about his time in the hands of the Taliban.

The Pentagon has been very careful at all times in Bergdahl case, who has shielded from the press.

After passing the first two weeks in a U.S. military hospital in Germany, he was transferred to the Army medical facility in San Antonio, Texas, at all times away from the cameras.

Now begins a new phase of his recovery with the return to active duty, which is a key step towards normality. According to The New York Times, citing official sources, the phase transition from therapy to routine life of a soldier on active part of the process of “reintegration” the army and thus to normal life.

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Posted by Maleeha Tareen on Jul 16 2014. Filed under USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.