The US Army will not ignore any misconduct by released Taliban detainee Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, but he should be considered innocent until proven guilty, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
“The questions about this particular soldier’s conduct are separate from our effort to recover ANY U.S. service member in enemy captivity,” Gen. Martin Dempsey said in a posting on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
Bergdahl, held for nearly five years in Afghanistan, was freed last week in a prisoner-swap deal with the Taliban brokered by the Qatari government. Five Taliban militants were released from the US prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and flown to Qatar.
“This was likely the last, best opportunity to free him,” Dempsey said.
The general said the military will question Bergdahl about the circumstances of his capture.
“Like any American, he is innocent until proven guilty,” Dempsey said. “Our Army’s leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred. In the meantime, we will continue to care for him and his family.”
Bergdahl was captured in unknown circumstances in eastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009, about two months after arriving in the country. Many US government officials say they believe he was seized after walking away from his unit in violation of US military regulations.
On Monday, Republican members of Congress said President Barack Obama had set a dangerous precedent with the prisoner swap and might have broken the law.
Fueling the criticism were accusations by some soldiers that Bergdahl was a deserter who cost the lives of several comrades.
Obama on Tuesday defended the operation to rescue Bergdahl, saying the United States was committed to freeing its prisoners of war regardless of how they were captured.
On Monday, the State Department said it considered Bergdahl a member of the military who was detained while in combat. The Pentagon said it was unable to confirm media reports that troops had been killed trying to locate Bergdahl following his June 2009 disappearance.
The Pentagon says Bergdahl is in stable condition at the US Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where doctors were assessing his condition after five years of captivity. Officials have indicated there is little desire to pursue any disciplinary action against him given what he has been through.