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| Via New York Daily News |
One of the tweets has been removed from the Twitter account that appeared to belong to Bob Bergdahl, whose son vanished in 2009 while serving in Afghanistan. Soldiers from his platoon called him a deserter who recklessly endangered Americans and disrupted counter-insurgency operations. At least six soldiers were reportedly killed in the aftermath of his disappearance.
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl wanted to talk to the Taliban — and after his capture his father apparently did just that.
The soldier whose disappearance led to the death of six of his fellow soldiers deserted his post in a harebrained attempt to communicate with the enemy, his team leader in Afghanistan told the Daily News Monday.
Sgt. Evan Buetow, 28, recalled he was among a small team including an interpreter who spied on radio and cell communications in the area of their base on the frontlines in eastern Afghanistan, listening for clues to the Bergdahl’s whereabouts following his disappearance on June 30, 2009.
He said he heard Afghans from a nearby village say: “There’s an American here looking for someone who speaks English so he can talk to the Taliban.”
The search for Bergdahl put troops in a vulnerable position. Attacks increased as U.S. movements became easier for the Taliban to predict, Bergdahl’s angry fellow soldiers said, speaking out for the first time now that he had been rescued.
After the bloodshed, the military opted to pursue negotiations instead of using boots on the ground.
The prisoner of war’s father, Bob Bergdahl, did what he could to ensure his son’s safety.
That included establishing an online dialogue with the Taliban — one that apparently continued until last week, only three days before his son’s rescue.
A Twitter account appearing to belong to Bob included a tweet Wednesday — since deleted — in which he said he was “working to free all Guantanmo prisoners. God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen!”
The tweet was directed at a Twitter account that claims to be the “Voice of Jihad” and features regular updates and bodycounts from the Mujahideen’s operations against “American invaders,” “U.S. terrorists,” and their Afghan “puppets.”
On Monday White House spokesman Jay Carney dodged questions about whether officials were aware of Bob Bergdahl’s comments before inviting him to join President Obama in the Rose Garden.
A senior administration official said the missive was irrelevant.
“Our sacred obligation to bring home our service members is rock solid. No tweet could ever affect that,” the official told the Daily News.
Read the full story: www.nydailynews.com
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