Culture

Taliban interrogators asked captured US soldier if Obama ‘sleeps with men’

Dec 31 2015
Written by Nick Duffy

A US soldier who was captured by the Taliban has revealed that the group believes Barack Obama sleeps with men.

Bowe Bergdahl is a US soldier who fled his base in Afghanistan in June 2009 – only to be captured by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network.

Bergdahl was held for five years before his release in a prisoner swap in May 2014, and opened up about his experiences as a prisoner of war.

Speaking to filmmaker Mark Boal for NPR’s Serial podcast, Bergdahl recalled his surreal experiences of interrogation.

Of the questions he was asked when held captive, he recounted: “The offices on your base, how do they get their prostitutes? We know that you bring prostitutes on base.
Taliban interrogators asked captured US soldier if Obama ‘sleeps with men’
“They’re trying to find every dirty little secret. What kind of alcohol do you drink? We know you all drink. What about drugs?

“They ask you, is Obama gay and sleeps with men? How good cameras do the drones have? They ask you anything.”

He added: “Thankfully the guy who did speak English wasn’t really interested in what I had to say [about miltary secrets] because he didn’t trust me.

“He never really asked me anything that I could answer.”

Journalist Sarah Koenig reflected: “This hodge-podge of perfectly reasonable questions and crazy-talk makes you wonder whether they’re trying to rile Bowe up, or whether their understanding of our world is as paltry as our understanding of theirs.”