Posted on 06/09/2014 3:38:28 AM PDT by bronxville
A field report made public through Wikileaks’ Afghan War Diaries disclosures provides a raw account of the first hours of the search for then-private Bowe Bergdahl, and includes initial Taliban and U.S. accounts of his behavior the night he was captured.
“Geronimo reported a B Co missing soldier after he did not show up for the 0900 morning roll call at Mest OP, grid 42SVB 59236 47877 Yahya Khail District, Paktika. A full search was ordered,” the report begins, noting that “all remaining units had reported 100% accountability.” Forty minutes later, “Pathfinder and tracking dog team arrived at Mest OP in support,” and the search was on.
Searchers first verified that Bergdahl was in fact off-post:
“All vehicles, latrines, bunders, and ANP facilities are to be searched. Both in Mest and Sharan.” Aircraft were soon mobilized when it was clear what the searchers were up against: “Also have reaper, shadow, predator, guardrail, AWT, and CAS enroute to assist in the search.”
Soon, low-level voice intercept (LLVI) yielded a cryptic glimpse into Bergdahl’s actions the hours before his capture. An American soldier with a camera had reportedly been wandering around off-base, behaving suspiciously: Guardianrail reports picked up LLVI traffic at Grid VB 6597 3366 that states…that an American soldier is talking and looking for someone who speaks English. Indicates American soldier has a camera.
On July 1st, a day after Bergdahl’s disappearance, LLVI picked up Taliban members talking about the Army private’s capture. Their account suggests that Bergdahl was unarmed, and captured in a somewhat vulnerable position:
“1- 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 butt yet. 2- What [shame] for them.”
The Taliban militants even seemed surprised at the scope of the search:
” 2-Yes look they have all Americans, [Afghan National Army] Helicopters the planes are looking for him. 1- I think he is big shot that why they are looking for him. 3-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.”
Two days after Bergdahl’s capture, the Taliban communicated their terms of release, and American forces were assured that the captured soldier was alive:
“The Elders were asked by the Taliban to a Trade between the U.S. and Taliban. The Taliban [terms] are 15 of their Taliban Brothers in U.S. Jail and some money in exchange for PVT Bergdahl. The Elders assured me that is alive and that he is not being harmed.”
It would be another five years before the U.S. authorized a prisoner swap, exchanging five high-value Guantanamo Bay detainees for Bergdahl’s freedom.
I hope it ALL leaks. Every report, every email every document.
It’s the only way this doesn’t get covered up.
https://www.michaelyon-online.com/images/pdf/AFG20090630n1790.pdf
Read it for yourself. You will also find the initial order was to cut his head off but they saw the intense rescue complete with helos and drones and thought this might be somebody important.
Ironically enough, this was part of Bradley Manning’s intel dump.
Dan Witmer
May 31 at 2:40pm · .
READ THIS...This is the story of a deserter...One SGT BergDahl
Thomas Owens Forwarded from Jeff Howard:
We were at OP Mest, Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It was a small outpost where B Co 1-501st INF (Airbone) ran operations out of, just an Infantry platoon and ANA counterparts there. The place was an Afghan graveyard. Bergdahl had been acting a little strange, telling people he wanted to “walk the earth” and kept a little journal talking about how he was meant for better things. No one thought anything about it. He was a little “out there”.
Next morning he’s gone. We search everywhere, and can’t find him. He left his weapon, his kit, and other sensitive items. He only took some water, a compass and a knife. We find some afghan kids shortly after who saw an american walking north asking about where the taliban are. We get hits on our voice intercepter that Taliban has him, and we were close. We come to realize that the kid deserted his post, snuck out of camp and sought out Taliban… to join them.
We were in a defensive position at OP Mest, where your focus is to keep people out. He knew where the blind spots were to slip out and that’s what he did. It was supposed to be a 4-day mission but turned into several months of active searching. Everyone was spun up to find this guy.
News outlets all over the country were putting out false information. It was hard to see, especially when we knew the truth about what happened and we lost good men trying to find him.
PFC Matthew Michael Martinek,
Staff Sgt. Kurt Robert Curtiss,
SSG Clayton Bowen,
PFC Morris Walker,
SSG Michael Murphrey,
2LT Darryn Andrews, were all KIA from our unit who died looking for Bergdahl. Many others from various units were wounded or killed while actively looking for Bergdahl.
Fighting Increased. IEDs and enemy ambushes increased. The Taliban knew that we were looking for him in high numbers and our movements were predictable. Because of Bergdahl, more men were out in danger, and more attacks on friendly camps and positions were conducted while we were out looking for him. His actions impacted the region more than anyone wants to admit.
There is also no way to know what he told the Taliban:
Our movements, locations, tactics, weak points on vehicles and other things for the enemy to exploit are just a few possibilities. The Government knows full well that he deserted. It looks bad and is a good propaganda piece for the Taliban. They refuse to acknowledge it. Hell they even promoted him to Sergeant which makes me sick. I feel for his family who only want their son/brother back. They don’t know the truth, or refuse to acknowledge it as well. What he did affected his family and his whole town back home, who don’t know the truth.
Either way what matters is that good men died because of him. He has been lying on all those Taliban videos about everything since his “capture”. If he ever returns, he should be tried under the UCMJ for being a deserter and judged for what he did. Bergdahl is not a hero, he is not a soldier or an Infantryman. He failed his brothers. Now, sons and daughters are growing up without their fathers who died for him and he will have to face that truth someday.”
https://www.facebook.com/dan.witmer.9/posts/10201340056781890
I just found this...may have been posted already.
May those brave young soldiers RIP.
Can this 64 year old vet volunteer for the firing squad?
This is the first mention that I’ve seen of their position being attacked. Was it? Nobody else has even hinted at any attack taking place.
He was not a POW.
The CIA dude who was outed would have got this report plus everything attached to it. Then the guy gets outed.....by Obama himself. Imagine that.
“more attacks on friendly camps and positions were conducted”
He didn’t say specifically theirs. But we do know that the attack on the FOB near Khost that killed eight and wounded 22 did not get the requested air cover because those assets were out looking for Bergdahl. That attack resulted in two of the survivors being CMH honorees.
Unless I’m reading it incorrectly, the conversation between the two Taliban has them talking about capturing Bergdahl as he’s taking a dump during an attack on his base.
I can hear Bowe saying...don't worry, they'll be looking for me. They have to...
He hated America and the army.
Makes sense to me. And the whole thing was pre-planned. Remember, he was looking for the Taliban.
The way I read it, they were on their way for an attack and found him pinching a loaf.
Here is the first link within the WikiLeaks
https://www.wikileaks.org/afg/event/2009/06/AFG20090630n1790.html
(CRIMINAL EVENT) KIDNAPPING RPT B CO 1-501 PIR : 0 INJ/DAM
There are updates logged through 10 July.
He had a camera!!! What intel did he deliver to the Taliban, intentionally or simply by stupidity?
I remember someone saying the guys would be playing cards, etc....and Bowe would be studying maps of Afghanistan.
Don't forget, Bowe was looking for the Taliban.
This is why Bergdahl needs his day in court.
- He could have been against the war and walked off the base of his own free will, or
- He could have been against the war and was captured in the latrine on the base
One is desertion, the other is just a bad attitude and bad luck.
= = =
OTOH - I would like to know how secure the database is that contained this information. Has this information been planted recently?
Pretty detailed report there. Wonder how they got their hands on it or if someone just passed it along...
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