WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama announced on Saturday that the Taliban had freed the only American prisoner they had held for almost five years and expressed hope that the release would open the door for further negotiations.

“While we are mindful of the challenges, it is our hope Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl’s recovery could potentially open the door for broader discussions among Afghans about the future of their country by building confidence that it is possible for all sides to find common ground,” Mr Obama said.

In a statement issued by his office, the president said the US remained committed to supporting an Afghan-led reconciliation process as “the surest way to achieve a stable, secure, sovereign and unified Afghanistan”.

Officials told reporters that the Taliban released Sgt Bergdahl in exchange for five Afghan detainees from the Guantanamo US prison camp. The Taliban had captured the US soldier on June 30, 2009.

On Saturday evening, the 28-year-old Bergdahl returned to a camp of US special forces in eastern Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border. He was in good condition and able to walk, US officials said.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2014