Tagged: Bowe Bergdahl

Parents of captured Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl recently had some good news. The family says they received a handwritten letter from Bergdahl who's been held as a prisoner of war by the Taliban for almost four years. The letter's confirmation came about two months after their son turned 27.

The International Committee of the Red Cross [ICRC] helped to get the letter to the family in Hailey, Idaho.

The parents of Idaho soldier Bowe Bergdahl are hoping a message they recorded for his 27th birthday will reach him in captivity. Bergdahl remains America's only POW from the war in Afghanistan.

Bob and Jani Bergdahl recorded a message on KECH, a radio station in Idaho's Wood River Valley.

“Happy birthday, Bowe Bergdahl!” they say.
“You're 27 years old today, if you forgot," says Mr. Bergdahl. "And you've been in Afghanistan for over four years now.”

Captured U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl turns 27 Thursday. It's the fourth birthday the Army sergeant from Idaho has passed in the hands of the Taliban and their allies. People who knew Bergdahl are trying to call more attention to the only known POW from the war in Afghanistan.

Not a lot is known about Bergdahl's life since he was captured in June 2009. But it's believed he's now being held by a Taliban-allied insurgent network in Pakistan. U.S. efforts to bring Bergdahl home are wrapped up in slow-moving peace negotiations in Afghanistan with the Taliban

Commanders of the militant Haqqani Network say the U.S. decision to designate the group as a terrorist organization could have repercussions for a captive Idaho soldier. That’s according to reports out Friday from Reuters and NBC. 

A new book that documents an attempt to rescue an Idaho soldier in Afghanistan will not likely interfere with efforts to bring him home. That’s according to at least one national security expert. The book is getting attention because it describes the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. It also says in 2009, Navy SEALs went after Bowe Bergdahl’s captors too.

A report this week from Reuters news service raises hopes there may be progress in efforts to get an Idaho soldier in Taliban captivity back onto U.S. soil. But the news about renewed negotiations also shows Bowe Bergdahl’s freedom is a key part of peace talks in Afghanistan.

Reuters reports the Obama administration has a new offer for Taliban leaders: five Guantanamo Bay detainees delivered to Qatar, in exchange for the release of Bergdahl.

The Idaho parents of the only U.S. soldier in Taliban captivity say they want the Obama administration to negotiate a prisoner swap to bring their son home. Bob and Jani Bergdahl broke their long silence in new interviews. They hope to build public pressure for a deal.

Today is Bowe Bergdahl’s 26th birthday.  The Army Sergeant from Idaho was captured by enemy forces in Afghanistan in June 2009.  Speaking on the House floor, Rep. Wendy Jaquet (D-Ketchum) said this is Bergdahl’s third birthday in captivity.  “And he’s been there for that long, and I would ask you to just keep him in your prayers and in your hearts today and hopefully he’ll get home pretty soon.”