American soldier to face court-martial for desertion

US army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who walked away from his post in Afghanistan and became a prisoner of the Taliban for five years, will face court-martial on charges of desertion and endangering US troops, the army has said.

Sgt Bergdahl (29), was charged earlier this year and faces up to life in prison if convicted of the more serious offence of endangering troops who searched for him in lawless areas of Afghanistan after his disappearance in 2009.

The date of the arraignment hearing at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, will be announced later, the US Army Forces Command said in a statement.

The head of the army team that investigated Sgt Bergdahl has said he does not believe he should face jail time. Prosecutors contend he should be punished for leaving his post and causing a massive search operation.

The official search lasted 45 days, but the US spent years trying to determine his whereabouts and bring him home.

He was freed in a prisoner swap in May 2014 that sent five Taliban leaders who were being held at Guantanamo to Qatar, where they had to stay for a year. – (Reuters)