US Army launches investigation of Bergdahl disappearance

The U.S. Army said Monday it has begun investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding the disappearance and capture of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan. A two-star general with Afghan combat experience has been placed in charge of the investigation.

"These types of investigations are not uncommon and serve to establish the facts on the ground following an incident," the Army said in a written statement.

Bergdahl disappeared from his post in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009, and spent five years in Taliban captivity. Some former members of his unit have said he left of his own accord, but Bergdahl has not commented publicly on the circumstances of his disappearance and the Army has filed no charges against him.

Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl will head the investigation, the Army said. He served as deputy commanding general of the 10th Mountain Division in southern Afghanistan in 2010 through 2012 and returned in 2012 as a deputy commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, according to his Army biography.

Bergdahl, who is being treated at a Texas medical base after returning to the United States last week, will not be interviewed until a military team that specializes in returning prisoners of war clears him to do so. "No timeline for completion of the investigation has been set," the Army said.

Wire services