Bergdahl's hometown in Idaho prepares to welcome him back

2014-05-31 419

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

Hailey, Idaho prepares to welcome Saturday (May 31) after the news broke that its lost son, U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, had been released from captivity.

Bergdahl was held for nearly five years by the Taliban after being captured in Afghanistan. Earlier on Saturday, he was released and is now in U.S. custody after years of on and off negotiations, U.S. officials said.

In Hailey, residents and business owners throughout the central Idaho city tied yellow ribbons and balloons on tree trunks and railings. And, at Zaney's River Street Coffee House, where local media reported Bergdahl used to work, yellow welcome home covered the walls.

As part of Bergdahl's release, the United States is turning over five Taliban detainees at the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the custody of Qatar, the officials said.

Bergdahl's freedom followed a renewed round of indirect U.S.-Taliban talks in recent months, with Qat

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