BRUSSELS — Critics should wait for the facts before rushing to judge released Taliban detainee Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday.
Some former comrades have accused Bergdahl — who was captured under unknown circumstances on June 30, 2009 — of walking away from his unit in Afghanistan, prompting a massive manhunt they say cost the lives of at least six fellow soldiers.
Bergdahl was freed last week in a controversial prisoner-swap deal with the Taliban brokered by the Qatari government. Five Taliban militants were released from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and flown to Qatar.
“I do not know of specific circumstances or details of U.S. soldiers dying as a result of efforts to find and rescue Sgt. Bergdahl,” Hagel told a news conference after a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
The Army has announced it will review all the circumstances surrounding Bergdahl’s disappearance, he said.
“Until we get the facts, until we have … a review of all the circumstances, it is not in the interest of anyone and certainly I think a bit unfair to Sgt. Bergdahl’s family and to him to presume anything. We don’t do that in the United States. We rely on facts,” Hagel said.
A spokesperson for Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, said a closed briefing was held Wednesday for all senators about the exchange for Bergdahl. “Sen. King thought tonight’s briefing was a productive first step and is encouraged by the beginning of an open dialogue between the White House and Congress.”
Earlier Wednesday, King said, “‘Leave no one behind’ isn’t a Hollywood catchphrase; it’s a fundamental American principle. I don’t know all of the facts around the Bergdahl exchange yet, but what I do know is this: Last week there was a United States soldier in captivity, and today he is back in the care of the United States Army.”
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said, “There is no dispute in the Intelligence Community about how dangerous these Taliban detainees are. It is highly likely that they will return to the fight against our country after their year in Qatar, which is why I share concerns expressed by many members of both parties about the administration’s decision. While I believe we have a responsibility to bring our troops home safely, I’m not persuaded that this particular deal, at this time, was the only way to bring Sgt. Bergdahl home.”
Hagel had a 10-minute telephone conversation Wednesday with Bergdahl’s parents in which he promised the military would give him full support in “his medical care and reintegration,” a senior defense official said. He added that Hagel “wanted them to know that the focus was on their son’s health.”
Meanwhile Wednesday, Bergdahl’s hometown of Hailey, Idaho, feeling a backlash over allegations that he was a deserter, canceled a rally planned for later this month celebrating his release.
Heather Dawson, the city administrator of Hailey, told Reuters that town officials called off the June 28 event at the request of organizers because the town “will be unable to safely manage the number of people expected.”
The decision came as the community came under mounting pressure to cancel the rally in the face of rising anger, expressed in emails and phone calls directed at city officials and businesses, over claims by Bergdahl’s one-time Army comrades that he had deliberately abandoned his post in Afghanistan.
The U.S. military has said the circumstances under which Bergdahl disappeared have yet to be fully investigated, although Pentagon officials have indicated Bergdahl is unlikely to face charges regardless of what the Army learns of his capture because he has suffered enough.
The Army sergeant was flown over the weekend to a military hospital in Germany for a full physical and mental evaluation, and it was not clear whether he would return to Idaho by the end of the month. The Pentagon says Bergdahl is in a stable condition at the U.S. Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
Republican members of Congress have said President Barack Obama set a dangerous precedent with the swap for Bergdahl and might have broken the law.
Hagel, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, was asked if he thought Bergdahl still deserved to be a sergeant.
“It’s not my place as a former sergeant in the United States Army, which I am very proud of, to decide who is worthy of being a sergeant and who isn’t and I think any further talk of that is irresponsible,” Hagel replied.
“Let’s get the facts, but let’s first focus on getting Sgt. Bergdahl well, getting his health back, getting him reunified with his family,” Hagel said.
“Let’s not forget Sgt. Bergdahl is a member of the United States armed forces. … The United States of America has, and always will have, responsibility for getting its soldiers back. Other questions and facts regarding Sgt. Bergdahl will be dealt with at a later time,” he added.
Obama on defended Tuesday the operation to rescue Bergdahl, saying the United States was committed to freeing its prisoners of war regardless of how they were captured.
A video released by the Taliban showed a dazed Bergdahl being led by two militants, one carrying a makeshift white flag on a stick, to a Blackhawk helicopter in eastern Afghanistan, ending his captivity.
Officials have indicated there is little desire to pursue any disciplinary action against him given what he has been through.