we have witnesses who can tell is what else happened in eastern afghanistan in 2009. those who have suffered as a result, and what this so-called deal may mean for afghanistan going forward. i will not recognize the ranking member from california, mr. sherman. >> thank you. mr. andrews, we know that you are the father of darren andrews, second lieutenant, who gave his life for his country. we cannot thank you enough for your family's sacrifice. we salute darren's courage. i would like to thank you specialist full for your service to our country. mr. waltz, a senior national security fellow at the new america foundation, who demanded special forces in eastern afghanistan. thank you for your service. and dr. jacobson, thank you for your 20 years of service in the military, including your deployment to afghanistan. first, as to a preliminary issue on iraq. let me point out that we do not have forces in iraq. we do not have a status of forces agreement with iraq. president bush established president malki in 2006, and in this governance is responsible for the violence taki

mohammed nabi operated a sell in eastern afghanistan attacking u.s.oalition forces and smuggled fighters and weapons. >> of the 141 detainees, 12 are afghan citizens. they are considered less important and dangerous than the taliban members used in the bowe bergdahl swap. >> we invite you to stay with al jazeera america for continuing coverage of bowe bergdahl's release. >> coming up next - thousands of women around the world are murdered by their families and communities in what are call honour killings. the united states is not immune. together we take a deeping look at this troubling trend. >> from cupcakes to cronuts, what makes food fashionable? plus culinary and craft-brew creations building a billion dollar industry. >>> welcome back. thousands of women are killed around the world each year in so-called honour killages. we take a look at the murders, often committed by family members, who see it as bringing dishop our to the family. [ chants ] >> reporter:. >> reporter: dozens of pakistanis protested in islamabad, after the killing of a girl be

forces in eastern afghanistan. he is seen dressed in traditional afghan clothing sitting in a pickup truck. he was held for nearly five years after being seized by taliban militants in june, 2009 as emily buchanan reports. >> reporter: the handover choreographed and filmed by the taliban. somewhere in the remote borderland with pakistan, sergeant bowe bergdahl arrived blinking after five years of captivity. he's guarded by heavily armed members of the haqqani network, a pakistan-based group closely allied to the taliban. then a black hawk helicopter lands. two of the fighters lead the soldier towards his countrymen. this is thought to be the first time the americans have met with the haqqani network. it the commentator said they wanted to have a little exchange, but the americans were taking no chances. there was no conversation, just a handshake. it's impossible to know what sergeant bergdahl may be feeling. his release is not straightforward. members of his platoon say he was a deserter, and the exchange with fiv

this all went down on saturday in eastern afghanistan. e was for bergdahl not to come back to afghanistan or in essence he would die. in the video bergdahl does look pale. he does look sick. let's talk about this with a military lawyer and a writer for "rolling stone" and former afghanistan veteran. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> matthew, thank you so much for being here. i want to start with you. as you look at this video, and writing about bowe bergdahl with your own experiences in afghanistan, what goes through your mind? >> relief frankly. i've been following this case since it happened. i'm grateful that we're getting him back. >> sergeant bergdahl has been somewhat demonized. how do you view him, matthew? >> you know, i am a bit bewildered by him. i'm not willing to rush to judgment on him as so many people seem to be so willing to do. i find it a bit curious that many of the soldiers from his former unit that are coming on networks such as cnn and fox are being arranged by republican strategists and it's politicize

special forces asked when they came in contact with them on the ground at that location in eastern afghanistan -- what's the health like of sergeant bergdahl, they asked, and tell us the truth if he's ill. and they said they thought he was fine and then handed him over to the special forces. that contradicts, of course, in some sense, what u.s. officials have been saying here at landstuhl regional medical center. [ inaudible ] mid-to-high-ranking members of the taliban who were returned to the middle east from guantanamo bay. this morning there are new calls for explanations about how these men ended up being set free. and questions -- >> just a couple years ago, they were too dangerous to set free. that was the testimony of clapper, the director of intelligence. you know, they were too dangerous to set free, he testified. and then -- >> then there are big questions about what obligation the president had to tell congress about these negotiations. there's a law on the books that says before prisoners are released from guantanamo, there needs to be 30 days notice to congress. there was not. the

at a very remote outpost, just 30 or so soldiers, a very small outpost in the mountains of eastern afghanistant far from the pakistan border. of course, the surge of troops into afghanistan under the new president, president obama at that time, had not yet started. so it was a very difficult time and, as the soldier in your report indicate, hostilities all around. so it must have been very dangerous and depressing environment for these soldiers. >> woodruff: but what they are saying and what you were telling us is that he gave every indication after a period of time that he was disillusioned and that he was thinking about leaving the military. we know there were communications between him and his parents. >> that's right, but as the general said to, really understand his long-term goal, was he just in a fit of depression, walked off the base? what were his goals and intentions and his long-term goals? again, there have been no indication from military investigators that we've spoken to during this whole period that he's been missing and more recently that he had any intent to go over to the ot

the taliban said this took place in eastern afghanistan.hey also said that at least 18 armed taliban soldiers were present during this handover. indeed, the video also shows a number of taliban armed afghan militants in the frame as well. so, you know, it corroborates that side of the story. in terms of his health and welfare, he looks pretty gaunt. i think we have to go with what the medical officials say here in southern germany say about that, he has certain medical needs. he's in a stable condition but after five years of being in captivity, he has certain medical needs which require hospitalization. part of his treatment, in fact, is to do with the dietary and nutritional needs, somewhat malnourished it seems during his nearly five years in captivity with afghan militants and so that's the real focus. the medical effort at the moment along with his psychological state. a great deal of focus being put on sergeant bergdahl's reintegration into society. >> matthew, it's interesting. we've been looking at the video as you've been describin

another time in eastern afghanistan i came across special forces during an operation. we filmed them. they came up to us and took the tape and destroyed it in front us. they don't like to be filmed. in part, because it shows the world, the public, how they do things. looking at this video, you get some indication. civilian clothes. beards. wearing the arab or middle eastern scarf. and the kind of helicopters they use, et cetera. we know u.s. officials will be looking at this for intelligence. i'll bet you the taliban were watching as well. >> i want to show our viewers, barbara, some video of sergeant bergdahl over the years. he was taken, what, in june 2009. take a look at the various images we've seen. in this most recent video of his release, at least to the naked eye, he looked relatively healthy, he walked on his own volition. he did not need some help in walking from the truck over to the helicopter. it looked like he was in relatively good shape. what are you hearing? >> well, i think most people at the pentagon are saying let's wait and see. we simply do not kn

there's questions about why he left the base in eastern afghanistan on june 30th, 2009. he left the base at least once before. defense officials confirm that begdahl did try to escape from the taliban at least once, and after taechlti iattempting to d confined him to a cage and solitary confinement for period of time. an investigation into his disappearance said he walked off base, but did not declare him a deserter because they could not establish his intent. he left the weapon and body armor at the base and only took personal items. according to wisconsin chi likes, an american soldier is looking for someone who speaks english. he left behind a letter explaining why he was leaving, maybe about e-mails that he sent home to his parents published in rolling stone magazine in which he wrote, quote, i'm ashamed to be an american, and the u.s. soldier is a lie of fools. the horror that is america is disgusting. according to the e-mails obtained, his father responded, obey your conscience. he has not spoken to his parents yet, according to u.s. officials, chris. >> jennifer,

there are still questions about why bergdahl left his base in eastern afghanistan on june 30th, 2009.e had left his base at least once before. defense officials confirmed that bergdahl did try to escape from the taliban at least once and after attempting to do so a year into his captivity, his captors confined him to a cage and to solitary confinement for periods of time. a 2010 army investigation into his disappearance concluded he willfully walked off base but stopped short of declaring him a deserter because they couldn't establish his intent. left his weapon and body armor at the base. according to wiki-leaks shortly after bergdahl disappeared, "an american soldier with a camera is looking for someone who speaks english." unit made to indicated that bergdahl left behind a letter explaining why he was leaving may have been referring to e-mails bergdahl sent home to his parents published in "rolling stone magazine" in 2012 in which bergdahl wrote, "i am ashamed to be an american and the title of u.s. soldier is just the lie of fools. i am sorry for everything. the horror that is ame

so today we have witnesses who can tell us what else happened in eastern afghanistan in 2009, those who have suffered as a result, and what this so-called deal may mean for afghanistan and the united states going forward. i'll yield back my time and i will now recognize the ranking member from california, mr. sherman, for five minutes. >> thank you. mr. andrews, we know that you're the father of garrett andrews, 2nd lieutenant, who gave his life for his country. we cannot thank you enough for your family's sacrifice. we salute darren's courage. i would also like to thank you, specialist full, for your service to our country. mr. walls is a senior national security fellow at the new america foundation who commanded special forces in eastern afghanistan. thank you for your service. and dr. jacobson, thank you for your 20 years of service in the military, including your deployment to afghanistan. first, as to preliminary issue on iraq, let me point out that we do not have forces in iraq. we do not have a status of forces agreement with iraq. it was president bush that installed al maliki a

there is still questions about why bowe bergdahl left his base in eastern afghanistan on june 30, 2009. he had left his base at least once before. defense officials confirm that bergdahl did try to escape from the taliban at least once, and after attempting to do so a year into his captivity, his captors confined him into a cage for periods of time. a 2010 a investigation into his disappearance concluded he willfully walk off base but stopped short of declaring him a deserter because they could not establish his intent. bergdahl left his weapon and body armor at the base and took with him only a few personal items. according to cable's published by wiki leaks. an american soldier with a camera is looking for someone who speaks english. he left behind a letter. bergdahl wrote i am ashared to be an american and the title of u.s. soldier is just the lie of fools. i'm sorry for everything. the horror that is america is disgusting. according to the emails obtained by rolling stone, bergdahl's father responded in an email, obey your conscience. it was the last time he and his son communicate

bowe bergdahl about his decision to wander off alone and unarmed from his eastern afghanistan base in 2009. >>> an $8.6 billion budget for san francisco. mayor lee delivering his spending plan to the board of supervisors this morning. $1 billion is to construct affordable housing in the city. >> through this budget i believe we are making smart, responsible, targeted investments to ensure that san francisco is more affordable and a better place to live for everyone. >> the budget also includes adding more than 800 government workers to the payroll, 200 of those for muni and another 300 for the police force. 135 million-dollars for public schools, something his staff says is unprecedented. the budget proposal does not include plans to place vehicle license fee on the november ballot. he plans to die voart tax money toward roadwork instead. >>> oakland police will be patrolling an elementary school after a 9-year-old girl was attacked with a hammer. police say a parent volunteer struck the girl friday over an apparent dispute with the child's family. the girl is expected to be ok. >>> m

first class with the second platoon blackfoot company at this small outpost in a remote area of eastern afghanistan. until one night he simply disappeared. joshua was the platoon's medic. >> he willfully left. he had premeditated, planned out, and left. >> u.s. military officials confirm that bergdahl walked away from the outpost without his weapon, carrying only a compass and a bottle of water. >> he deserted, not only the army, but also left myself and my platoon and my company to clean up his mess. >> reporter: for 90 days on the ground and in the air, the u.s. military conducted a massive search operation for bergdahl. during the mission, six american soldiers were killed, including two from bergdahl's platoon. second lieutenant darren andrews, and private first class matthew martinek. in dallas today, andrew's twin brother jared said he was shocked when he learned that bergdahl had voluntarily walked off his base. >> i have frustration that potentially he could still be alive if bergdahl had not left his post. we lost somebody that we loved very much and we'll never see him again. >> reporter:

special operation soldiers in eastern afghanistan by a 19-strong contight by the taliban. and exchange five will be send to qatar. they are former officials of the taliban government that held power before the u.s. invasion. >> i want to go home, you know. the afghanistan men in our prisons, they want to go home too. >> during his captivity bowe bergdahl could be seen. the prisoner swap has been discussed since 2011. whoous officials the weeks ago a new opportunity aroz. in the roz garden, bowe bergdahl's parents by his side the president said u.s. safety would not be compromised. >> we worked for several years, and this week i thanked the emar of qatar for helping to get this done. as part of the efforts america is transferring five detainees from the question in guantanamo bay. the qatari government has said it would put in place measures to protect our citizens. >> some say that president obama has broken the law, by not notifying 38 days before the release of the prisoners. the white house hopes it will help with negotiation efforts. >> these negotiations and their suc

the taliban snatched him while on deployment to eastern afghanistan in 2009. today he is safe and in u.s. military hands. >> stephen: that's right, afghan veteran bowe bergdahl is safe unless he needs the va health system any time soon. then, then there will be a bit of a wait. but bergdahl's freedom wasn't free. you see obama negotiated bergdahl's return for five tlb detainees held at guantanamo. >> he can't release these guys. we were this close to charging them with something. (laughter) and minot the only one out there who is absolutely adamant about both of his feelings on this. >> obviously we should be happy for the family. they've got be their loved one back, that's very, very important. the methodology and what we used is very troublesome, negotiating with terrorists. >> it is cause for celebration when an american is returned home. we negotiated with terrorists. >> first of all, we are all happy that an american has been returned to his family. this was not the right thing. >> yes t is a victory and a defeat. the whole situation has us pumping our fi

special operations forces in eastern afghanistan by a 19-strong contight. in exchange five prisoners will be september to qatar and be subjected to security restrictions, including a ban on travel. >> i want to go home. you know, the afghanistan men in our prisons, they want to go home too. >> during his captivity bowe could be seen in video tapes. this prisoner swap has been discussed since 2011 but never came to anything. a white house official said weeks ago a new opportunity arose. >> in the roz garden, the president said u.s. safety would not be compromised. >> we worked for years o achieve the goal and we were able to thank the emir of qatar for his leadership in helping to get this done. as part of the effort united states is transferring five detainees from the prison in guantanamo bay to qatar. the qatari government is giving assurances that it will put in place measures to protect our national security. all right some in congress say president obama broke the law by not notifying 30 days before the release of guantanamo bay prisoners. the white hou

the dramatic hand off took place in eastern afghanistan. several dozen u.s. special operations forces and a band of about 18 taliban fighters, both sides heavily armed warily approached each other as american attack helicopters circled. after a brief verbal exchange, bergdahl was released and walked alone toward the american commando who whisked him away to safety. he appeared in five hostage videos, clearly under during russ and sometimes criticized the u.s. war in afghanistan. >> i'm afraid to tell you this war has effected us. >> reporter: his release was the result of a prisoner swap. a year ago the taliban first offered to release bergdahl in exchange for five prisoners being held at the guantanamo bay defense center in cuba. today, less than six hours after he was freed, five top taliban prisoners at gitmo were loaded on a u.s. c-17 to be flown to cutter in the persian gulf. president obama said bergdahl's recovery confirms america's commitment to leave no man or woman behind. in the rose garden late today with president obama his parents were still ove

this video does handover to the special forces in eastern afghanistan has fanned the row over the decision to free high-level prisoners from guantÁnamo bay in exchange for the 28-year-old sergeant. other video claims to show the five top officials being handed over in qatar which mediated in the swap negotiations. the gulf state has provided assurances that they will not pose a threat to the u.s. and impose a one-year travel ban on them. some of the white house's biggest critics such as john mccain said the deal will encourage extremists. >> this decision to bring the sergeant home and we applaud that he is home is ill-founded, a mistake, and it is putting the lives of american servicemen and women at risk and that to me is unacceptable. unacceptable. >> students and young people imitating for freedom and economic opportunity were gunned down by the chinese military. hundreds, perhaps thousands of them are killed. >> today, in hong kong, tens of thousands of people gathered for a massive rally to remember those that lost their lives. it was the only public commemoration in china. on the ma

[crying] >> reporter: he was captured in eastern afghanistan in 2009. with help from the cutter, the soldier was traded on saturday for 5 taliban militants held at guantanamo bay in cuba. under the terms of the deal the men are required to stay in cutter for at least a year. >> reporter: but some republican almostses are concerned that the obama administration released terrorists. >> these are the hardest of the high core, these are the highest of high risk people. >> reporter: heart attack agel says they did not negotiate with terrorists. >> this is a prisoner of war exchange. he was a prisoner. >> reporter: and backed the decision not to notify congress or the afghan government that the deal was unfolding. his health was detearerating. >> they were hopeful that the deal could lead to other negotiations with the taliban. >>> tragedy on mount rainier as six climbers are feared dead. why their bodies may never be recovered. >>> a plane crash killed the co- owner of a newspaper. the chain of events that led to this tragedy. ann b. davis played alice on "t

special operations soldiers in eastern afghanistan on saturday, by a 19-strong contingent of the taliban. in exchange five prisoners will be september to qatar, subject to security restrictions, including a ban on travel. they are former officials of the government that held power before the u.s. invasion. >> i want to go home, you know. the afghanistan men in our prisons, they want to go home too. >> during his captivity bowe bergdahl could be seen on videotapes released by the taliban. the prisoner swap has been discussed since 2011, but never came to anything. the white house officials said several weeks ago the opportunity arose. in the white house gardens, bowe bergdahl's parent at his side president obama spoke of. >> i was able to think the emar of qatar for helping us get it done. as part of this effort five prisoners from guantanamo bay will be transferred to qatar. the qatari have said they will put in place elements to protect the american public. >> elements of the congress said the white house may have bren the law. >> negotiations and the success suggest that the taliban is

special forces in eastern afghanistan saturday. the 28-year-old from haley, idaho, has been held as a prisoner of war since june 30, 2009. president obama spoke saturday evening with bergdahl's parents by his side. >> he wasn't forgotten by his country because the united states of america does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind. >> i'd like to say to bowe right now who is having trouble speaking english, [ non-english language ] >> i'm your father. >> reporter: bergdahl's recovery followed years of negotiations between the u.s. and the taliban. with the government of qatar recently serving as a go- between. qatar will take custody of five afghan detainees released from guantanomo bay prison in exchange for bergdahl. bergdahl's parents never relented on their fight to bring him home holding rallies and releasing videos. bergdahl appeared to be in good condition when he was released. he is having a medical exam in afghanistan before he returns to the u.s. a senior defense official says once bergdahl was on board a u.s

. >> reporter: obama administration officials say the taliban handed bergdahl to forces in eastern afghanistanaturday. the 28-year-old from hailey, idaho has been held as a prisoner of war since june 30, 2009. >> he wasn't forgotten by his country because the united states of america does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind. >> reporter: bergdahl's recovery followed years of negotiations between the u.s. and the taliban. the government of quatar serving as a go between. they will take custody of five afghan detainees held at guantanamo bay prison in exchange for bergdahl. the soldier appeared to be in good condition when recovered. he is undergoing medical exams in afghanistan and europe before returning to the u.s. once bergdahl was on board a u.s. military helicopter, he wrote sf asking if he was with special operations forces. one of them said yes adding we have been looking for you for a long time prompting bergdahl to break down crying. wendy jilette for cbs news. >> and after medical checkups, bergdahl will be flown to a u.s. army hospital in germany and undergo psychologi

special forces in eastern afghanistan. bergdahl is searched for explosives before being lifted in the helicopter and flying to freedom. the video then shows the taliban's farewell message to its former hostage. but the rescue and recovery of america's only prisoner of war in afghanistan is being overshadowed by controversy. without notifying congress as required by law, the u.s. released five taliban leaders from guantanomo bay in exchange for bergdahl's freedom. >> you can't undo what the president has done. and i think the long-term potential for damage is enormous! >> reporter: the white house is sending a team to capitol hill to provide a classified briefing to the full senate this afternoon. a similar briefing tuesday for a smaller group didn't calm outrage over the prisoner release. >> there is intelligence that potentially makes a majority of these people a danger in the future. >> reporter: there is also anger from some of bergdahl's fellow soldiers who say he walked off his post. >> he needs to stand trial for wha

, sergeant bowe bergdahl was reportedly handed to a farce of special operations soldiers in eastern afghanistan. in exchange five taliban proper at guantanamo bay will be sent to qatar, subject to security restrbdss, including -- restrictions, including a ban on travel. they are senior officials of the taliban government, that held power before the u.s. invasion. >> i want to go home. the afghanistan mn in our prisons, they want to go home too. >> during his captivity, bowe bergdahl could be seep in video tapes. the prison swap has been discussed since 2011. the white house officials said that several weeks ago a new opportunitia rose. in the white house roz garden, parents by her side, they said that u.s. safety would not becompromised. >> this week i thanked the emir of qatar for its leadership. as part of the efforts the united states is transferring five detainees from the prison in guantanamo bay to qatar. the qatari government assures us it will put in measures to protect our national security. snow some in congress -- >> some in congress say that president obama has between the law by no

bergdahl was held prisoner for far longer than these journalists in the remote mountains of eastern afghanistanndscape that bowe's father has pointed out actually looks pretty similar to his hometown of hailey, idaho. and that may help bowe make what the military likes to call a soft landing back home. video obtained by the "guardian" newspaper shows bowe's father in a tent near his home, in woods where bowe used to hike. he says his son could possibly find solitude here. >> we set this up for him. >> reporter: there's no timetable for his recovery. but bergdahl's parents say they are up for the challenge. before he returns home, he will remain under evaluation and treatment at a military hospital in germany. >> give yourself all of the time you need to recover and decompress. there is no hurry. you have your life ahead of you. >> reporter: the long road back to health is tough for my prisoner of war, but for bergdahl perhaps even more difficult because of the questions his return has unleashed at home. for "nightline" i'm neil karlinsky in hailey, idaho. >> our thanks to neil for that report.

the video says that the transfer took place in eastern afghanistan and officials say it took place on saturday. >> video shows bowe bergdahl waiting before he is taken away by helicopter. the p.o.w. was exchanged for five high-risk taliban members who are being held at guantanamo bay. the pentagon has not authenticateed the video. >> the competent overseeing the bay bridge meets in oakland to discuss the latest problem involving anchor rod on the new span. steel rods that hole the cable in place on the new span have shifted and are now off center. official hope for an update today. >> more than two-thirds of the 274 rods are too close to plates and the condition they could be damaged by friction in an earthquake. caltran has known of the problem for some time and says it could take months and millions to fix. >> it seems like each day this week has been lets clouds and more sun. will it continue? >> that is the trend. >> many layer is less and less influential on the forecast. but it is out there. it is covering san francisco. we have 53 through the ferry building and 51 coming across

. >> reporter: the tense handover took place in eastern afghanistan on the pakistani border with u.s. helicopter gun ships and surveillance drones hovering overhead. once on board in an american helicopter, he wrote out a two letter question to make himself understood over the din of the rotor blades. "s.f.?" meaning, species forces. "yes," one of the operators shouted in his ear. "we've been looking for you for a long time." realizing he was free at least, bergdahl broke down crying. at the same time, officials at guantanamo bay in cuba began the process releasing five afghan taliban promisers to the government of qatar. a persian gulf state which served as an intermediary state between the on again, off again, negotiations with the taliban. all five prisoners were considered too dangerous to release but could not be put on trial because of a lack of dead that would stand up in court. under the terms of the swap, they will have to remain in qatar for at least a year. the five-for-one deal had been on the table for three years with little progress. but negotiations including a phone c

that is why he walked off his post in eastern afghanistan back in 2009. lauren?tara mergener in washington. tara, thanks. >>> and the national transportation safety board is investigating the crash of a private jet. seven people were killed including prominent philadelphia businessman lewis katz. there were no survivors. katz's corporate jet was trying to take off saturday night from an airfield northwest of boston. witnesses say it never got off the ground. anne-marie green has our report. >> reporter: the "gulfstream iv" was taking off from hanscom field in bedford, massachusetts, around 9:45 p.m. saturday when witnesses say they heard a boom and saw a fireball. >> we heard a huge explosion and the house shook. >> reporter: on board three crew members and four passengers including lewis katz, the media mogul and philanthropist who was part of a group that recently won a contentious auction to buy out owners of "the philadelphia inquirer," a longtime newspaper. they pledged $88 million to turn the newspaper around. former pennsylvania governor ed rendell was kat

this hour starting with the attack in eastern afghanistan taliban suicide bombers have blown off thirty seven a fuel tanker police on the militants and all three of you talk were killed. plies being sent to u.s. troops and. libya's authorities have condemned u.s. personnel cheating the suspected leader of a deadly. it also demand. there the assault in september twenty fifth u.s. ambassador. after the break stay with us. went back to iraq recently violence has flared up as insurgents are taking cities from the current iraqi government and response to this chaos obama declared that his administration is prepared to take military action whenever our national security is threatened oh well. since the weapons of mass destruction were never found it a rock and the curtain. a forty seven's over the ocean i don't see how us national security is at risk now or before the iraq war even started but on the other hand the flow of oil from us but tamia well that might be at risk but sometimes i forget that obama is a politician and just a day later he was quoted as saying quite the opposite about the

it's a point they agreed to meet in eastern afghanistan.he american special operations forces were on helicopters and came into that area, met the taliban, took bergdahl, brought him on the helicopter and took him to a u.s. base for evaluation. >> there was something about him scribbling something on a paper plate. what's that about? >> he wasn't sure -- he wasn't sure who had him. so he was asking if that was american special forces, and to which one of the members of the special forces team responded that yes, it was. >> so how unprecedented is such a negotiation? the administration and several people have come out and put out statements saying this was a long time coming. >> right. well, the americans had tried to initiate talks with the taliban directly back in 2011 and 2012. and those broke down. since then, the americans have had no direct contact with the taliban. there was an attempt last summer to try to open a taliban political office in gutter and almost immediately after it opened, it was closed down and kind of an embarrassing

waltz commanded a special forces company in eastern afghanistan at the time sergeant bergdahl was captured. he was previously a senior defense department coordinator for afghanistan and vice president cheney's counterterrorism advisor. and then dr. mark davidson is the senior advisor at the truman national security project adjunct professor at george washington university. he previously advised both general stanley mcchrystal and general david petraeus and served on the staff of the senate armed services committee. we will start with mr. andrews. you have five minutes, sir. you will need to turn on the microphone, that little button in front of you. >> thank you, mr. chairman, ranking members and members of the subcommittee. >> if you would, mr. andrews, sorry to interrupt, but get the microphone right in front of you. >> i'm andy andrews, father of second lieutenant darryl andrews who was killed in afghanistan while in the process of searching for bowe bergdahl. his first tour in afghanistan was in 2004 as an enlisted soldier. he developed a medical condition that required surgery so he w

bergdahl was deployed in eastern afghanistan when he disappeared in june 2009. he was freed in he can change for five taliban detainees being held at guantonimo bay. >> remains of five american soldiers killed in a friendly fire attack in afghanistan are back on u.s. soil in delaware. dignified transfer of remains for three of the soldiers took place at dover air force base today. justin class of washington, justin helton of ohio and aaron toppin of illinois. the pentagon says a coalition jet called in to ward off a taliban tack mistakenly bombed the us special forces troops. >> militants are making their way toward baghdad tonight after capturing two key cities in ir iraq. they're on mission to take over the shiite led government in baghdad. president obama says his national security team has been closely monitoring the insurgent threat for several months now and is considering a request from the iraqi government to call in u.s. air strikes. >> my team is working around the clock to identify how we can provide the most effective assistance to them. >> violence

to show the moment when the taliban exchanged bowe bergdahl to special operations forces in eastern afghanistan. this meeting took place saturday, around 6:30 p.m. the taliban forces are waiting on this open field near a barren hillside. they have a lot of backup with them. then, americans arrive. two helicopters. one of those helicopters lands. it had been pre-agreed that only three people from each side would meet for this exchange, so three american special operations forces come out of the helicopters, they meet two taliban militants and bergdahl. bergdahl is looking fairly healthy, thin, but nervous. the exchange is quite brief. the americans and the taliban quickly exchange what look like handshakes, not particularly warm handshakes, then the americans back away, waving. they want to make sure there are no misunderstandings, that the situation remains calm. they frisk bergdahl, load him into a helicopter, the entire exchange takes about one minute. richard engel, nbc news, germany. >>> the president is finishing up his second day in europe today. just hours ago, president obama landed in

. >> reporter: bergdahl was held for more than five years taken in remote mountains in eastern afghanistan. a landscape that bowe's father pointed out that looks similar to his hometown and that may help what the military likes to call a soft landing back home. video obtained shows bowe's father in a nearby tent in woods where bowe used to hike. he says his son could find solitude here. >> we set this up for him hoping he would get home. >> reporter: there is no timetable for his recovery. bowe bergdahl may be physically free but the mental side will take longer. neil karlinsky, abc news, idaho. >>> now we move to another big story tonight. proposed new rules by the environmental protection agency marking the most significant step on climate change in the obama presidency. the rules give states one year to come up with strategies to reduce carbon emission from power plants and the reduction is supposed to be by 30% over 15 years. including plants that burn coal. environmental groups call it a historic move and industry groups call it a job killer that will increase the price of energy. the

of june 30, 2009, bergdahl neatly stacked up his equipment, and walked off the out-post in eastern afghanistan. a retired army commander tells cbs news that in the weeks that followed military and intelligence operations in the area dramatically increased. some of those patrols succeeded in eliminating many enemy combatants, but also led to the loss of some u.s. soldiers. one of them was 20-year-old private matthew martinek. he was killed three months later on patrol in the same province where bergdahl disappeared. >> he loved his country. he loved his family. >> reporter: mother cheryl brandis and stepfather ken luccioni said fellow soldiers told them their son died while searching for bowe bergdahl. >> i'm happy he's home. i'm happy for his family that their son is not in harm's way anymore, but now he needs to stand up as a man and be accountable for the actions that he did and what it caused. >> reporter: today, defense secretary chuck hagel said he had not seen any evidence that soldiers had died because of bowe bergdahl's disappearance. >> dubois: margaret, if the military does accuse hi

the handover took place saturday in eastern afghanistan's khost province. bergdahl left afghanistan in a blackhawk helicopter. he's now receiving medical treatment in germany. a preliminary army investigation has already determined that bowe bergdahl intentionally left his post, before he was captured. a full investigation will determine whether he was a deserter. a local soldier who served in the same unit as bergdahl, says there's no question in *his mind that bergdahl deserted... and six other soldiers lost their lives trying to find him. >> for me and my platoon, we've lost two members on a search. to me they are heroes. >>the taliban gave a heroes' welcome to *its five freed detainees. now, we learn, bowe bergdahl's father created a twitter account, and communicated personally with the taliban, to plead for his son's release. one of the men wanted for attacking v stiviano has turned himself in to police in new york. stiviano's the woman who recorded the comments that led to clipper's owner donald sterling's lifetime ban from the n-b-a. she says two men

risked their very life searching for him when he walked off that base without permission in eastern afghanistanill no doubt have some explaining to do about his actions. >> the really difficult part about this deal is we traded fooi war hardened terrorists to someone who is probably a deserter. if you look at what happens he walked off the base wbecause of disgruntled american policy. >> they are krit fiezing the president for approving the prison swap for bergdahl's release. 5 afghan detainees in exchange for bergdahl's freedom. democrats are defending the president. >> if this man's life had been lost and it came out we had this opportunity and our commander and chief passed on it the republicans wouldn't be going crazy right now. we save this had man's life. >> there is concern about oall f this. bergdahl's father treated this earlier in the week that he was quote working to free all guantanamo prisoners. the tweet has been since delivered but it adds fuel to the growing sentiment to will service members that bergdahl should be held accountable for his actions. >> kelly wright. we will keep

the exchange took place in eastern afghanistan. 19 taliban forces were present. there was no confrontation, no gun fire. defense officials say bowe bergdahl was able to walk to u.s. forces and communicate with them. he's receiving medical care and debriefing by the authorities. the emir of qatar netted the release in exchange for a transfer to the custody of qatar. >> the taliban have little popularity in afghanistan. i don't think they any longer have levers of power that would make them dangerous. plus, the qataris have promised to guarantee them for a year. i think probably keep an eye on them afterthat. >> bowe bergdahl was captured in june 2009. over the years the taliban released videos. in most he was forced to criticise u.s. military presence in afghanistan. >> this war is not worth the waste of human life that it cost afghanistan in u.s. it's not worth the amount of lives that have been west coasted, the amount of life wasted in prisons, guantanamo bay, bagram - all those places where we are keeping, you know, prisoners. i'm a prisoner. i want to go home

a helicopter filled with several dozen navy s.e.a.l.s land near the pakistan border in eastern afghanistan. they were met by 18 armed taliban. no shots were fired. the transfer took place about 10:30 eastern. he was a bit disoriented and confused. he took a pen and wrote on a paper plate, writing instead of talking because it was so loud on the helicopter. sf question mark? meaning special forces? the s.e.a.l. sitting with him responded loudly over the noise of the rotor blades saying yes, we've been for you for a long time. bergdahl reportedly broke down crying. according to senior u.s. forces, he was in a weakened state. had lost some weight but he could walk on his own. he was held by the haqqani for four years and ten months. he walked off base and went missing in june 2009 at his base. we are seeing growing anger from republican congressional leaders who have oversight over the armed forces and intelligence committees. they say the president did not inform them of the transfer of prisoners from git moe as is required by law. judge? >> thank you. >> the only person p.o.w. in afghanista

we were chasing a ghost around eastern afghanistan for at least 90 days immediately following his disappearance. >> were you told not to discuss this publicly at the time? >> there wasn't really enough time. we were busy driving from information spot to information spot from village to village. we didn't have enough time to talk about anything. and the little time that we did get back on big army bases, yeah, we had to sign a document saying we weren't going to talk about it. >> you had to sign a document? >> yes, sir. yes, sir. >> wow. what is your reaction? they're calling them the dream team, the taliban five. what is your reaction in this trade the president made? >> it's very frustrating. i'm not going to comment too much on this dream team five, but bergdahl being traded for these five taliban individuals and coming back to the united states and being treated as a hero, that's incredible frustrating and infuriating. because there are men and women, especially men who i knew in afghanistan who died looking for him. those are the heros. bergdahl, who walked away who deserted his post, he's

eastern afghanistan. when something like this happens, everybody gears up. you have u.s. intelligence officials that begin to collect ,nformation on his whereabouts special operations forces that year up to try to insert and rescue, you have the afghan government and its services trying to identify him. , it to support david's point remember in the initial hours after we realized he was in captivity, to try to get him before he was taken across the border into pakistan. once he entered pakistan territory, that is a different game. the idea of a u.s. could insert has arces into pakistan range of political sensitive questions, as we saw with bin laden. it was a rush to get him into pakistan that was the focus of effort and obviously that failed. he was held in pakistan. >> what did they tell you about bergdahl? >> at that point, not a lot of information. some information about leaving the compound. what is most important is to himself. bowe we have not had his perspective. we have had reports of people who spoke to him and people to communicated with him. we have not heard

we were chasing a ghostéy around eastern afghanistan for at least 90 days immediately following his disappearancele's lives are lost because we were searching for him. i just don't want to see him hailed as a hero. >> i believe he should have a trial for what he did. he is not a hero. >> and general bob scales says the new taliban propaganda video of bergdahl's release outraging other soldiers even more. sergeant joins us. >> good evening, sir. >> good evening, greta. >> if you walk away from your unit unthese circumstances what are you? >> well, that's right. and one of the things i trust, greta, more than anything else, is the military justice system. if the politicians will leave this alone, all the facts will come out. the 15.6 investigation that the military does will be unsealed. and will -- and the general public will be able to get the rest of the facts. but, what's missing in all of this, is the emotional response from those in uniform. i mean, you know, their obligation according to the soldier's creed is i will never leave a comrade behind. there is also part of the soldier's concrete