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Family of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl receives death threats after US soldier’s release from Taliban in Afghanistan

THEIR son was held captive by the Taliban for five years and now the family of returned soldier Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl have been dealt another blow.

FILE - This undated photo provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Bergdahl went missing from his outpost in Afghanistan in June 2009 and was released by the Taliban on May 31, 2014. Bergdahl went missing from his outpost in Afghanistan in June 2009 and was released from Taliban captivity on May 31, 2014 in exchange for five enemy combatants held in the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)
FILE - This undated photo provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Bergdahl went missing from his outpost in Afghanistan in June 2009 and was released by the Taliban on May 31, 2014. Bergdahl went missing from his outpost in Afghanistan in June 2009 and was released from Taliban captivity on May 31, 2014 in exchange for five enemy combatants held in the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)

AS IF having your son held captive by the Taliban for five years wasn’t punishment enough, the family of returned soldier Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has now received death threats.

The FBI is investigating the threats, which were sent to Sgt Bergdahl’s father Bob via four emails, the BBC reports.

The first threat was received on Wednesday, the same day that a rally supporting Sgt Bergdahl, in his home town of Hailey, Idaho, was cancelled.

The event was called off over controversy around the circumstances of Sgt Bergdahl’s release, which has divided opinion in the US between those who believe he is a hero and those who believe he endangered his fellow soldiers by deserting his post.

Sgt Bergdahl, 28, was captured in June 2009 after he disappeared from his infantry unit.

Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl sits in a vehicle guarded by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan. Picture: AP/Voice Of Jihad website
Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl sits in a vehicle guarded by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan. Picture: AP/Voice Of Jihad website

RELATED: Bowe Bergdahl: I was tortured by the Taliban

Meanwhile, Sgt Bergdahl has told people treating him at a US military medical facility in Germany that he was tortured, beaten and held in a cage by his Taliban captors in Afghanistan after he tried to escape.

Doctors said that while Bergdahl was physically able to travel he was not yet emotionally prepared to be reunited with his family, The New York Times reported yesterday. He has not yet spoken to his family.

Authorities are reported to be providing security to Bob Bergdahl and his wife Jani in Idaho.

Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. Bergdahl, who went missing from his outpost in Afghanistan in June 2009 and was released by the Taliban on May 31. Picture: AP Photo/US Army
Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. Bergdahl, who went missing from his outpost in Afghanistan in June 2009 and was released by the Taliban on May 31. Picture: AP Photo/US Army

Originally published as Family of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl receives death threats after US soldier’s release from Taliban in Afghanistan

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/family-of-sergeant-bowe-bergdahl-receives-death-threats-after-us-soldiers-release-from-taliban-in-afghanistan/news-story/5bf2d07effd094c41629e0793c095463