International
Voice of Jihad / AP video
A video released by the Taliban on Wednesday shows two of the group’s fighters leading a dazed-looking Bowe Bergdahl to a Blackhawk helicopter in eastern Afghanistan, ending his five years in captivity.
In the first publicly aired footage of Bergdahl's handover to the U.S. military over the weekend, the clip shows Taliban cadres dotted on nearby hills, armed with rocket launchers and watching the transfer.
The operation, from the helicopter’s touchdown to its takeoff, was all over in a minute.
"Do not panic," the fighters shout as the Blackhawk lands in the barren valley deep in Khost province, close to the border with Pakistan.
Bergdahl, a U.S. army sergeant, was released on Saturday in exchange for five senior insurgent leaders, who had been held in a U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Before his rescue, Bergdahl is seen in the video sitting in the rear seat of a four-wheel-drive truck, blinking rapidly, apparently either dazed by the light or anxious about the events unfolding around him.
As the Blackhawk lands, two of the fighters approach the helicopter, one carrying a white cloth crudely tied to a stick and the other leading Bergdahl by the hand.
Three men walk from the U.S. chopper. One is an interpreter, the Taliban's reporter says in the clip.
One member of the U.S. team steps forward to shake their hands. He quickly offers his right hand to one, his left hand to the other and grabs Bergdahl by the arm. In the same movement, he sweeps his hand across to Bergdahl's back.
"We told them: If he is not in good health, please tell us. We tried to communicate with them through their interpreter, but they did not wait," the Taliban reporter says in the clip.
As the first man leads the freed prisoner to the aircraft, the interpreter waves and the second man steps backward, his eyes still trained on the Taliban.
A careful but rapid body search is performed before Bergdahl is helped aboard the Blackhawk. Then the team members take positions with their legs dangling, and the chopper lifts off.
The video starts plays a Taliban victory song, and the message in English flashes up: "Don' come back to Afghanistan." Then it cuts to the arrival of the five released leaders in Qatar after more than a decade in Guantánamo Bay.
The video’s authenticity could not be independently verified. The Pentagon said it had no reason to doubt its authenticity, but was reviewing it.
Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban after leaving his base in unclear circumstances, and spent five years in captivity.
The 28-year-old is now in a military hospital in Germany, undergoing physical and mental assessments.
In the video, Bergdahl appears clean-shaven and wears a traditional white salwar kameez garment as he squints at the Taliban militants outside leaning in to talk to him.
Reuters
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