Details Leak On Bowe Bergdahl Capture, Circumstances Of His Disappearance
Debates over the rescue of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl have reached a fever pitch in the media, as rumors that the soldier was a deserter gain traction with certain media strongholds.
As The Inquisitr reported yesterday, tweets lauding Bowe Bergdahl’s return home were hastily deleted by lawmakers ostensibly motivated by political gain after a strong anti-Bergdahl narrative emerged in the media.
Wikileaks has previously published information regarding the capture of Bergdahl, and today, re-tweeted a link to a 2009 document that appears to describe the details of the soldier’s kidnapping.
Involving both military reports and Afghan radio chatter (leaked by Chelsea Manning), the document suggests that not only did Bowe Bergdahl not go AWOL — but that he may have been snatched from a latrine.
Wikileaks tweeted:
WikiLeaks copies of #Taliban radio intercepts show that #Bergdahl didn’t defect but was taken when on latrine http://t.co/m7yHWGNphx
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) June 4, 2014
The leaked document quotes an unnamed party involved with the kidnappers, and is in all caps. The man is quoted as saying:
“WE WERE ATTACKING THE POST HE WAS SITTING TAKING [EXPLETIVE,] HE HAD NO GUN WITH HIM. HE WAS TAKING [EXPLETIVE,] HE HAS NOT CLEANED HIS [EXPLETIVE] YET. 2- WHAT [SHAME] FOR THEM. 1- I DONT THINK HE W 2-YES LOOK THEY HAVE ALL AMERICANS, ANA HELICOPTERS THE PLANES ARE LOOKING FOR HIM. 1- I THINK HE IS BIG SHOT THAT WHY THEY ARE LOOKING FOR HIM. 3-CAN YOU GUYS MAKE A VIDEO OF HIM AND ANNOUNCE IT ALL OVER AFGHANISTAN THAT WE HAVE ONE OF THE AMERICANS. 1- WE ALREADY HAVE A VIDEO OF HIM.”
The Afghan leak seems to run contrary to the claims made by several soldiers now stepping forward to insist Bergdahl went AWOL. Former Pfc. Kenneth Wortham of Baltimore told CBS:
“He left. He got up and left. He left his weapon. He took water with him, a notepad, some knives.”
Further complicating matters is the sudden appearance of these soldiers and their objection to Bergdahl’s release. Media Matters For America, a watchdog organization that often rebuts Fox News reports, says that the men are represented by Republican strategist and Fox News contributor Richard Grenell, and MMFA reveals:
“Grenell served as a spokesman for former U.N. ambassador (and current Fox News contributor) John Bolton in the George W. Bush administration, and also worked for a short time on the Romney 2012 campaign… The New York Times reported on June 2 that ‘Republican strategists’ arranged for the paper to interview soldiers who served with Bergdahl and have animosity towards him because they believe he is a deserter… One of the soldiers quoted in the article, Cody Full, sent out a tweet thanking Grenell ‘for helping get our platoon’s story out.'”
The site adds:
“Buzzfeed reported that Grenell’s partner at his firm, Brad Chase, confirmed that they were behind the public relations campaign (Grenell also sent out a tweet explaining his firm offered “pro bono services” to the soldiers). Chase disputed the Times‘ characterization of his firm as “Republican strategists” because he is not a Republican.”
In the wake of the campaign against Bowe Bergdahl, his hometown was forced to cancel a “welcome home” event over threats of reprisal.
[Image: Bowe Bergdahl, US Army]
