Washington – US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who walked away from his army unit in 2009 and was held for five years by the Taliban, is the subject of the second season of the popular podcast Serial, which was released on Thursday.
For the first time Bergdahl opens up about the time he spent as a prisoner in Afghanistan.
“Suddenly, it really starts to sink in that I really did something bad. Or, not bad, but I really did something serious,” Bergdahl says in the podcast.
Bergdahl, now 29 years old, wandered from his army unit and was taken prisoner by the Taliban. In 2014 he was released in a controversial prisoner exchange that freed five Guantanamo Bay detainees. He still faces desertion charges in a US military court, which could bring a life sentence.
Republicans in the House of Representatives armed forces committee on Wednesday released a report that said US President Barack Obama had not informed Congress about the prisoner exchange in a timely manner. The Republicans were especially critical of the release of five Guantanamo detainees to Qatar.
The first season of Serial focused on questions about the murder conviction of young Maryland man. It was downloaded 68 million times and became one of the most popular podcasts. Observers say the second season is likely to be even more popular.
