• Release terms send five Guantánamo detainees to Qatar • Obama appears with soldier's parents at the White House • Hagel says US security not compromised by trade for PoW

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

The last American soldier held captive by the Afghan Taliban has been released, after the US government agreed to free five Afghan detainees from the Guantánamo Bay prison in Cuba to the custody of the Qatari government, US officials said.



Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 28, was held captive for almost five years. Sources told the Associated Press he was in good condition and was able to walk.



Bergdahl was on his way to an American military hospital in Germany, a US defence official told Reuters, and was then expected to be transferred to a military medical facility in San Antonio, Texas.



The five former Guantánamo detainees have been transferred to the custody of the Qatari government. Their movements will be restricted, according to US government statements.

Later, during an appearance in the Rose Garden at the White House with the soldier's parents, Barack Obama welcomed news of the release, saying that while Bergdahl was gone, "he was never forgotten."

The president said that the US "does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind" and that in relation to the five Taliban detainees released, the Qatari government had given assurances it would "put in place measures to protect our national security".



Speaking after the president, Bob Bergdahl, Bowe's father, thanked all those who had taken part in his son's recovery and said that his son was "having trouble speaking English".

Defense secretary Chuck Hagel said: “The United States has coordinated closely with Qatar to ensure that security measures are in place and the national security of the United States will not be compromised.”

The release of the Guantánamo detainees was welcomed with "great happiness" by the Taliban, Agence France-Presse reported.

The decision to release the prisoners brought "great happiness and pleasure to [the] Afghan nation and particularly to the Islamic Emirate Mujahideen," a Taliban statement said.

The statement named the five prisoners as Mohammad Fazl, Norullah Noori, Mohammed Nabi, Khairullah Khairkhwa and Abdul Haq Wasiq. A US State Department official also confirmed their identities, AFP reported.

Bergdahl's release took place near the Pakistani border on Saturday evening, local time in Afghanistan, according to the Associated Press. Several dozen US special forces soldiers were reportedly involved in a non-violent exchange.



A senior defense official, traveling with Hagel in Singapore, told the AP that once Bergdahl had climbed aboard a helicopter he took a pen and wrote on a paper plate, the letters "SF?", asking the troops if they were special operations forces.



They shouted back, over the roar of the rotors: "Yes, we've been looking for you for a long time."



According to the official, Bergdahl then broke down.



American diplomats and officials released statements praising Bergdahl’s release.



“Sergeant Bergdahl’s recovery is a reminder of America’s unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield,” said Obama prior to his Rose Garden appearance.



A still from a Manba al-Jihad video of Bergdahl, held hostage since June 2009. Photograph: IntelCenter/AFP/Getty Images

“The cost of years of captivity to Sergeant Bergdahl and his family is immeasurable. Today, we are heartened that Sergeant Bergdahl will soon be reunited with his family and friends, from whom he has been apart for far too long,” said secretary of state John Kerry.



Obama spoke to Bergdahl’s parents after he was taken into US custody. Bergdahl’s parents subsequently issued a public statement, saying they were "joyful and relieved” at their son’s return.

"We cannot wait to wrap our arms around our only son,” they said.

Bergdahl's family was in Washington on a previously scheduled visit when they received the news, according to the AP.



Bergdahl’s release comes after a reportedly intense week of negotiations between the US government and the Taliban, mediated by the Qatari government, which Obama thanked in his statement. Hagel reportedly told Congress about the prisoner swap on Saturday.



An opportunity for diplomatic exchange became possible several weeks ago, according to a statement from the White House National Security Council. The council said Obama spoke with the Qatari emir on the phone on Tuesday.



Bowe Bergdahl (sitting) near Malakh, Afghanistan, in 2009, when he was part of a team building an base for the Afghan National Army. Photograph: Sean Smith

“US efforts to facilitate reconciliation with the Taliban began in November 2010, and since May 2011 the recovery of Sergeant Bergdahl has been a central element of our reconciliation efforts. For all that time, our efforts have been coordinated at the highest levels of the US government,” said the NSC.



“The emir's personal commitment to this effort is a testament to the partnership between our two countries,” said Obama, about Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Bergdahl went missing outside a US base in southern Paktika province on 30 June 2009. The next day, the Department of Defense listed his whereabouts as unknown; that changed to “captured” on 3 July 2009.



Bergdahl was 23 years old when he was captured. He is from Hailey, Idaho, a town of about 7,900 people about 160 miles east of Boise, and was serving with the 25th Infantry Division in Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Mike McKenna, a resident of the town, told Reuters: "The people of this community have been living with yellow ribbons around trees and yellow 'Bring Bowe Home' stickers plastered everywhere for so long that it won't seem real at first."



Weeks after his disappearance, Bergdahl was shown in a 28-minute video released by the Taliban, with a shaved head and wearing a grey shalwar kameez, a traditional middle eastern garb for men.



"Please, please bring us home so that we can be back where we belong and not over here, wasting our time and our lives and our precious life that we could be using back in our own country. Please bring us home,” Bergdahl told the camera. The video was condemned as propaganda by US officials.



"I'm scared, scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner," Bergdahl said.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest On December 25, 2009, the Taliban's al-Emara Jihadi Studio, released a hostage video of Bergdahl. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Over the nearly five years Bergdahl was held as a prisoner of war, his family made few public statements. In May 2011, his father posted a video on YouTube which appeared directly addressed to Pakistani diplomats.



"We have been quiet in public, but we have not been quiet behind the scenes," Bob Bergdahl said.

"Continue to be patient and kind to those around you. You are not forgotten,” he appeared to say to his son, according to an AP report published at the time.



Bergdahl’s release came in the same week that Obama outlined plans to keep US forces in Afghanistan until 2016, during a commencement speech at West Point military academy.



On Saturday, Kerry said he had discussed Bergdahl's release with President Hamid Karzai, by phone.

The president's statement said: “This week the United States renewed its commitment to the Afghan people and made clear that we will continue to support them as they chart their own future.



“While we are mindful of the challenges, it is our hope Sergeant Bergdahl’s recovery could potentially open the door for broader discussions among Afghans about the future of their country by building confidence that it is possible for all sides to find common ground.”





