Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier who slipped away from his patrol base in Afghanistan in 2009 and was held in captivity for five years, has been charged with desertion and misbehaving before the enemy, Army officials said Wednesday, setting the stage for emotionally charged court proceedings in coming months.
The charges were announced by the service at Fort Bragg, N.C., hours after the 28-year-old was handed a charge sheet, according to one of his attorneys. Bergdahl will next face a preliminary Article 32 hearing, which is frequently compared to a grand jury proceeding in civilian court.
If convicted, he faces the possibility of life in prison.
Bowe Bergdahl, once-missing U.S. soldier, charged with desertion, Washington Post
Bergdahl could also face a dishonorable discharge, reduction in rank and forfeiture of all his pay if convicted of both the charges announced Wednesday.
US military to charge Bergdahl with desertion, Al Jazeera
Under the relatively obscure misbehavior charge, the army will have to show “disobedience, neglect or intentional misconduct” in Bergdahl’s disappearance.
Bowe Bergdahl faces life in prison after being charged with desertion, Guardian
The case has been under review by General Mark Milley, head of U.S. Army Forces Command, who was asked to look at the circumstance surrounding Bergdahl's capture in eastern Afghanistan in 2009.
Bergdahl disappeared from his unit early one morning after doing guard duty. It quickly became apparent he was missing when he failed to show up for roll call, but his gun, ammunition and body armor had been left behind.
Attorney: Bergdahl faces desertion charges, Reuters
He was captured and held by the Taliban for five years, before being handed over to a team of US special forces soldiers last May.
In exchange for his release, five senior Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo Bay were transferred to the custody of the Gulf state of Qatar, which brokered the deal.
His release enraged Republicans and some Democrats, who said that the prisoner swap could ultimately put American lives at risk.
Taliban-swap US soldier Bowe Bergdahl charged with desertion, BBC
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 released at least a half-dozen videos of Bergdahl in captivity. Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar said at the time of the swap of Bergdahl for five of his men that it was a significant achievement for the organization.
Guide to Bergdahl Case That Began With Disappearance, Associated Press
One senior Defense Department official, anticipating the wave of criticism about the handling of the case, offered a pre-emptive defense, even before King announced the charges.
“This doesn’t change the fact that we should have brought him home,” said the official, who asked not to be identified. “We don’t outsource our justice to the Taliban.”
Bowe Bergdahl desertion charges rekindle debate over Taliban swap, Politico