Serial Podcast Season 2 Episode 2 – Reflection
In Episode Two, Sarah Koenig interviews a Taliban fighter and Sami Yousafzai, an Afghan reporter, who interviewed a half dozen people who claimed to be involved with Bowe’s capture or interacted with Bowe. The Taliban fighter Sarah interviewed is Mujahid Rahman which is an alias to protect his identity. The Taliban’s and Bowe’s stories of Bowe’s capture are different. The Taliban says they were notified of a foreigner walking near a Kuchi tent (nomadic group) and Hilal, a Taliban member, says they rode up to Bowe and said they were police and the Bowe joined them. Bowe says he was never in or near a Kuchi tent and he did not willingly go with the Taliban fighters on their motorcycles. The captors thought of Bowe was a weak, dumb American and called him a statute because he did not eat or drink anything they gave him. Bowe says he was in survival mode and was scared because the Taliban have no problem killing someone. The Taliban questioned Bowe and then brought Bowe west to Ghazni to throw off the Americans because the American’s knew the goal was to get Bergdahl to Pakistan where the US were allies and wouldn’t invade. Once Bowe was in Ghazni, Mujahid was ordered to take Bowe east to the Haqqani network in Pakistan alive. Most of the guys Sami interviewed said they treated Bowe like a guest and humanely which is part of the culture in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is not what someone might expect to hear from members of the Taliban. Whether this is true or not, it is an important aspect of the story from the Taliban’s side. In the following days and weeks after Bowe’s capture, the US military was using all their resources in order to find Bowe. Sarah talked to many soldiers that were in Afghanistan about what it was like for them. Many said that if Bowe was found they would have beaten him up or even killed him. Most of the soldiers knew of or heard rumors that Bowe intentionally walked off his post, endangering the lives of others.
WikiLeaks is an international organization dedicated to exposing secret government documents. I have a varying opinion on the mission of WikiLeaks because I feel people have the right to know what their government is up to. On the flip side, there is an issue of national security because of the document being released during an investigation and the risk of the information getting into the wrong hands. I noticed the WikiLeaks documents supported what the United States and what the Taliban said in the podcast. Also, I noticed in the WikiLeaks document, that I didn’t on the podcast was the local elders being in direct contact with the Americans and the Taliban.
UPDATE: 0610z LLVI TRAFFIC FROM REDRIDGE: freq 162.1 1- …. 1- I DONT THINKHE W 2-YES LOOK THEY HAVE ALL AMERICANS, ANA HELICOPTERS THE PLANES ARELOOKING FOR HIM. 1- I THINK HE IS BIG SHOT THAT WHY THEY ARE LOOKING FOR HIM. ….
This interception alludes to the fact that Bowe was repeatedly asked if he was important by his captors. The interception is proof of how intense and large the search for Bowe was, especially because the US called for all operations to cease until Bergdahl was found. Another part of the WikiLeaks documents confirmed this action.
UPDATE: 1212z YUKON 6 REPORTS ALL OPERATIONS WILL CEASE UNTIL MISSING SOLDIER IS FOUND. ALL ASSESTS WILL BE FOCUSED ON THE DUSTWUN SITUATION AND SUSTAINMENTOPERATIONS.
(https://wardiaries.wikileaks.org/id/36261792-F927-5439-D51D126F3051823D/)
This leads us to question who? If anyone? Is actually telling the truth? Is Bowe’s experience of the events skewed by possible trauma caused mental blocks? Do the Taliban members really believe they were humane to Bergdahl?
