U.S. Forces Planned for Worst in Prisoner Recovery, Hagel Says
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U.S. commandos planned for the worst as they arrived in eastern Afghanistan to free Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl after the Taliban agreed to release him as part of a prisoner exchange, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said.
U.S. special operations forces took custody of Bergdahl at about 10:30 a.m. New York time on May 31 as five Taliban detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were handed over to Qatari authorities, who negotiated the transfer. Captured outside a U.S. base in Afghanistan, he was the only remaining American prisoner of war in the country.