Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl describes what life was like as a Taliban captive

Hours after the Army charged him with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl released a two-page statement through his attorney that gives his account of what happened during the five years he was held captive by the Taliban.

Bergdahl said that for the first three months, he was "chained to a bed spread-eagle and blindfolded," and because he spent so much time unable to move, his muscles atrophied. After a year, he was placed in a cage with his feet chained every night. He developed acute pain, he said, which turned into a "freezing numbness that continues to the present, as both feet have neuropathy." He was always isolated, sometimes in total darkness and other times in constant light.

He said he tried to escape at least 12 times, and once was able to hide for nine days. Because he had no food and only drank "putrid" water, his body gave up and he was caught by a large Taliban search party, who went on to beat him and "tried to rip my beard and hair out." His captors played mind games, he stated, telling him one day he would be executed, and the next day he would be going home. For the entire time he was held captive, Bergdahl wrote, he had "absolutely no understanding of anything that was happening behind the door I was held behind."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up