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Former Captive Bergdahl Will Return To Regular Duty In Army

The Army says Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, whose freedom from the Taliban was gained by a prisoner exchange, has been cleared for active duty and assigned to a unit in Texas. When he was released in May, Bergdahl had been held by the Taliban for five years.

Responding to questions from NPR's Tom Bowman about his status, the Army issued a statement:

"Sgt. Bergdahl has completed the final phase of the reintegration process under the control of U.S. Army South and is currently being assigned to U.S. Army North, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston (JBSA).

"He will now return to regular duty within the command where he can contribute to the mission. The Army investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding the disappearance and capture of Bergdahl is still ongoing."

The news comes more than six weeks after the soldier was released in a tense handover in Afghanistan, in exchange for the release of five Taliban prisoners who had been held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Bergdahl arrived in Texas one month ago.

You can follow our earlier coverage of Bergdahl here.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.