Bergdahl described as a ‘ gold mine’ of Taliban knowledge
Debriefing officers see value from his captivity
FORT BRAGG, N. C. – Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was eager to cooperate with government authorities and provided valuable intelligence about his Taliban captors who held him in brutal conditions for five years in Afghanistan, defense witnesses testified Tuesday.
“It was a gold mine,” said Amber Dach, whowas an intelligence analyst involved with Bergdahl’s lengthy debriefing after he was released in 2014. She said his testimony “reshaped” the way the military viewed intelligence gathering in the region.
Dach was among several defense witnesses in the sentencing hearing for Bergdahl, 31, who has pleaded guilty to charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. He faces a potential life sentence.
Bergdahl provided a rare opportunity to glean intelligence about the shadowy Haqqani network, a Talibanlinked militant group operating in Afghanistan, analysts said. He was “eager to help,” Dach said. Bergdahl was the only American serviceman held captive for a lengthy time by Taliban- linked militants.
Bergdahl appeared weak and pale when he first met with debriefers at Landsthul, the military base in Germanywhere hewasmoved shortly after his release. “It was actually a bit disturbing,” Dach said.
Terrence Russell, an official at the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency, said Bergdahl could be helpful in training military personnel about surviving captivity. “I need him,” Russell said. “I need him right now.”
Russell, who also participated in debriefing Bergdahl, described how the soldier was held in filthy conditions and endured torture, near starvation and abuse. Russell said he was “living in his own filth.”
Bergdahl made numerous attempts to escape, once getting away for nine days. He tried to survive by eating grass and was recaptured. Formuch of the time in captivity he was chained inside a metal cage and often beaten.
“It was extreme neglect,” Russell said. “They just let him ... rot in that cage for four years.”
An Army doctor said Bergdahl suffers from nerve damage in his legs because of a lack of proper nutrition during captivity. The doctor, Lt. Col. Alan Larsen, said Bergdahl’s condition might worsen but won’t get better.
Gregory Leatherman, a squad leader in Bergdahl’s unit, described him as a conscientious soldier.
Bergdahl expressed concerns his unit wasn’t aggressive enough in pursuing the Taliban. “He wanted to go out and get the bad guys,” Leatherman said.
Audry Ellingson, who worked with Bergdahl after he returned to the U. S., said he was reliable and efficient.