Hometown of Taliban captive US soldier rallies in his support

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoYtTvyQnF3doz6iVre9sgBpXiDhUg_rX9ovBIg7uJkjekznO3OrdKxhktzoGkyY01l-KThx9xvSM_BPt9Rmci2ctP-3K0-kxbXV60uYB6DewlEvPdQSjESjesqh1iMJHEhziTihVhz4/s1600/51c60386f1404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoYtTvyQnF3doz6iVre9sgBpXiDhUg_rX9ovBIg7uJkjekznO3OrdKxhktzoGkyY01l-KThx9xvSM_BPt9Rmci2ctP-3K0-kxbXV60uYB6DewlEvPdQSjESjesqh1iMJHEhziTihVhz4/s1600/51c60386f1404.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>HAILEY: Hundreds of supporters rallied on Saturday in the central Idaho, hometown of prisoner-of-war Bowe Bergdahl, to call for the safe return of the US Army sergeant believed to be held captive by Taliban militants in northwestern Pakistan</b>.<br /><br />The rally, expected to be the largest yet for the only known American prisoner of war tied to the Afghanistan conflict, marks the latest effort by residents of Hailey, a close-knit town of 7,000, to draw attention to Bergdahl's plight and push for his release.<br /><br />Bergdahl, now 27, was serving with an Alaska-based infantry unit when he disappeared from his base in southern Afghanistan in June 2009 and was taken captive by the Taliban.<br /><br />Saturday's gathering in Hailey caps a week of renewed hope for Bergdahl's release amid reports of a potential prisoner exchange as part of planned peace talks between the United States and the Taliban.<br /><br />But the latest bid to end Afghanistan's 12-year-old war appeared to lose momentum late this week after news that the Taliban would open an office in Qatar - a step seen as paving the way for peace talks - drew the fury of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.<br /><br />As many as 1,000 motorcyclists from US clubs tied to helping the causes of veterans and prisoners-of-war were expected on Saturday afternoon to escort Bergdahl's father, Bob, to a local park, where he and his wife would speak in a rare public appearance.<br /><br />Through a family spokesman, Bob Bergdahl declined an interview with Reuters ahead of the rally.<br /><br />In a statement earlier this month, Bergdahl said he and his wife had received a letter from their son that gave them hope he is well despite his circumstances.<br /><br />The trees on Hailey's main street have been decorated with yellow ribbons for four years to show that the town - sandwiched between a world-class trout stream and the towering Sawtooth Mountains - has not forgotten its native son.

Hometown of Taliban captive US soldier rallies in his support

HAILEY: Hundreds of supporters rallied on Saturday in the central Idaho, hometown of prisoner-of-war Bowe Bergdahl, to call for the safe ret...

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