Bowe Bergdahl, Soldier Held by Taliban for 5 Years, to Face Court-Martial

The attorney for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was released in exchange for five Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay, says the soldier's case has been referred for trial by a general court-martial.

Attorney Eugene Fidell says the convening authority did not follow the advice of the preliminary hearing officer who had recommended that Bergdahl's case be moved only to a special misdemeanor-level military court. Fidell said in a statement Monday that he had hoped the case would not go in this direction.

Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, was held by the Taliban for nearly five years after he walked off his post in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009.

He was charged in March with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.

The U.S. Army Forces Command said Monday its commanding general referred charges of desertion and "misbehavior before the enemy by endangering the safety of a command, unit or place" against Bergdahl.

His arraignment hearing will be held at Ford Bragg, North Carolina, according to the Army news release. The date of the hearing was not announced.

Bergdahl hasn't spoken publicly about why he walked off his base in Afghanistan or about his five-year imprisonment, but conversations he held with screenwriter Mark Boal are being played on the new season of the popular podcast "Serial," which began airing last week.

In the first episode, Bergdahl said he left the base to warn military brass about what he believed were serious problems with his unit's leadership.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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