A soldier is in captivity under one of the most popular terrorist group, Taliban. What must he be thinking since the minute he was caught by them? A chance to ESCAPE. Seeing through the mind while blindfolded and listening at all times to keep a track and record of his locations. Even though Bowe could not understand their language, he kept a keen attention on every word and noise around him. Right after he was caught, Taliban constantly kept changing their locations. According to the interviews taken by reporter Sami Yousafsai with Taliban, Bowe was first taken to a mosque near OP Mest. Later, he was taken to the commander of Taliban in Yusof Khel District near FOB Sharana. There they decided that Bergdahl was their golden chicken and was worth a lot because he was alive. They did not want to kill him.
They predicted that US military might assume that Bowe would be taken to Pakistan and therefore, Taliban planned to take him in the opposite direction until things get clam and they could move him in Pakistan peacefully. So, Bowe was taken to Ghazni where he was kept for a couple of weeks. Subsequently, they moved him east towards Pakistan, almost near FOB Sharana (US military post). Taliban was smart yet over confident regarding their moves with Bowe, they picked locations around US military posts knowing that US soldiers still kept an eye around for him. But the search for Bowe had slowed down after two months and that gave Taliban a chance to take Bowe to Pakistan where they could finally not worry as much about him being found or able to escape. Taliban drove him to Angoor Shaba, a city near the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was later moved to North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Miran Shah, Shawal, and Wana. During his five years in war captivity by Taliban, he was most moved among these cities near Afghan-Pakistan Border. They changed eight locations and was constantly on move. All of this information was given by Taliban members to Sami Yousafsai(Afghani reporter who later shared them to Sarah Koenig, host of Serial, a podcast).
During these times, Bowe tried to escape twice. Early in the beginning he was caught immediately and a year after he went missing for nine days before he was caught again. Bowe explained his experience throughout his captivity as brutal and filthy. After his initial try to escape, he was severely beaten for a while and taken to another place where they tied him to a bed and blindfolded him for three months. Bowe had been constantly beaten and was sick for the most times he was held by Taliban. They did not intend to force information out of him because they did not trust him rather they asked him foolish questions like the type of alcohol and drugs Americans consume and if the women had sex with animals. One night Bowe had made use of the key thrown by a kid towards his room to unlock himself and escape. He had prepared himself for this time and gathered a blanket, water bottle, nail, a key, a PVC pipe, sandals, and a wooden stake before he left. Now, in the middle of the night, it was just him and a high desert terrain with bushes and slit ground. He starts walking towards the south east where most of his journey included steep mountains and pine trees. Before Bowe could run away enough, he stepped off a cliff and hurt himself badly. His left arm and feet were injured and he couldn't move anymore. However, he digs himself a small hole beneath a tree and had stayed there for almost nine days without food and water. He ate grasses and enjoyed his last sunset before he was caught again by Taliban. Bowe Bergdahl had been through a lot and survived through severe hostile times. He does not deserve to be labeled as a traitor, does he?
During these times, Bowe tried to escape twice. Early in the beginning he was caught immediately and a year after he went missing for nine days before he was caught again. Bowe explained his experience throughout his captivity as brutal and filthy. After his initial try to escape, he was severely beaten for a while and taken to another place where they tied him to a bed and blindfolded him for three months. Bowe had been constantly beaten and was sick for the most times he was held by Taliban. They did not intend to force information out of him because they did not trust him rather they asked him foolish questions like the type of alcohol and drugs Americans consume and if the women had sex with animals. One night Bowe had made use of the key thrown by a kid towards his room to unlock himself and escape. He had prepared himself for this time and gathered a blanket, water bottle, nail, a key, a PVC pipe, sandals, and a wooden stake before he left. Now, in the middle of the night, it was just him and a high desert terrain with bushes and slit ground. He starts walking towards the south east where most of his journey included steep mountains and pine trees. Before Bowe could run away enough, he stepped off a cliff and hurt himself badly. His left arm and feet were injured and he couldn't move anymore. However, he digs himself a small hole beneath a tree and had stayed there for almost nine days without food and water. He ate grasses and enjoyed his last sunset before he was caught again by Taliban. Bowe Bergdahl had been through a lot and survived through severe hostile times. He does not deserve to be labeled as a traitor, does he?
Good job analyzing episode 3,I like that you provided details about the episode.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if he can be considered a full fledged traitor, but his decision to leave base and trigger the dustwun was stupid and warns consequences. after listening to how much bowe suffered in the first year alone, i just cant see a reason why he should suffer the same punishment as a full fledged traitor.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the army addressed any of the problems that led Bowe to walk off.
ReplyDeleteI think it's terrible how he was continuously beaten after every escape. They treated him like a rag. He had been through so much to try to escape and to know that the country and media still considered him as a traitor, seems as if they're foolish. Great post!
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