WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held captive in Afghanistan for five years, will be charged with desertion, senior defense officials said Tuesday.
The officials said charges could be submitted within a week, and would be based on claims Bergdahl abandoned his post in 2009 to avoid hazardous duty or important work, NBC News reported. The charges go beyond the lesser offense of absent without official leave, in that he allegedly put his fellow soldiers at risk by leaving, an official said.
After leaving his post in an Afghanistan combat zone, Bergdahl was captured in Pakistan by the Haqqani Network, a terrorist group engaged in fighting Afghan and NATO troops. He was released in May 2014 in a prisoner swap with five Taliban leaders held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
If judged guilty, his five years in prison will likely be taken into consideration, officials said, and he could be permitted to leave the Army with a "less than honorable" discharge, a forfeit of up to $300,000 in back pay and bonuses, and a reduction in rank.
