A US official says the Army sergeant who abandoned his post in Afghanistan and was held by the Taliban for five years will be court martialed on charges of desertion and avoiding military service.
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will also be charged with misbehavior before the enemy, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the announcement publicly on the record and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The US military plans an announcement later.
President Barack Obama speaks with Jani Bergdahl, left, and Bob Bergdahl, right, the parents of US Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Saturday, May 31, 2014, after the announcement that Bowe Bergdahl has been released from captivity. (photo credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster)
Bergdahl walked away from his post in Afghanistan and was captured, then released from Taliban capture in a prisoner exchange.
Gen. Mark Milley, head of US Army Forces Command, has been reviewing the massive case files and had a broad range of legal options, including various degrees of desertion charges.
A major consideration was whether military officials would be able to prove that Bergdahl had no intention of returning to his unit — a key element in the more serious desertion charges.
— AP
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