In this episode of Serial, the host recounts the moment when she realized that there was no way of getting out of her cage while in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, and how the use of the word "impunity" still echoes in her mind.
A woman named Kim Harrison went to her local police department in Portland, Oregon to file a missing person report for Bo, who had gone missing from a place 7,000 miles away. Harrison’s report was necessary to generate Interpol’s version of a missing person report called a yellow notice.
The search for Boe Bergdahl by the military was a challenging effort with no established guidelines. Active efforts to recover the missing soldier were hampered by the involvement of multiple organizations including the FBI, CIA, and Interpol.
Personnel recovery, also known as PR, is a critical element in combat zones that involves retrieving assets and individuals such as hostages. Dual-hatting personnel rather than dedicating a personnel recovery division can lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities.
The speaker recounts an episode with an incoherent person and his struggle to understand what was being said.
Kim talks about a mysterious tip that connected her to the Bergdahl case and the involvement of the FBI in verifying the source’s credibility.
The Department of Defense tried to find Bo Bergdahl by monitoring Kim Harrison for two years and even asking for drones in the search.
A former CIA officer shares a story about the agency's priorities for targeting top al-Qaeda and Haqqani members. In addition, the officer discusses a dress code issue faced while returning to the CIA building after attending an event.
People involved in army soldier Bowe Bergdahl's disappearance case state that it was neglected for a while because none of the people working on it had the authority to make any critical decisions, despite the case involving rumors of treachery.
The case of Bowe Bergdahl, a US soldier who was held captive by the Taliban for five years, presented challenges for journalists due to the manipulation game being played by both sides.
The US government has a secret mission of using both military force and humanitarian aid to stay in good relations with Pakistan, according to a former CIA analyst.
An audit is conducted to figure out how the US Government acted to get Bowe Bergdahl back and how communication broke down between various intelligence factions. Six months after, President Obama ordered a review of the US dealing with these cases with updates on the hostage policy.
The next episode of Serial will feature a discussion on the experiences of soldiers in the Afghanistan war, including feeling isolated and underprepared for combat, and grappling with their thoughts and experiences.