Military charges against Bergdahl, who was released in 2014 in exchange for five Taliban militants imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, were referred to a general court-martial, various media reported, citing US Armed Forces command.
Eugene Fidel, Bergdahl's attorney, stated that the decision by the military authority diverges from the recommendations by the preliminary hearing officer who had asked for the case to be moved to a misdemeanor-level military court.
In a statement released Monday, Fidel underscored that he didn’t want the case to escalate to a full court martial.
Bergdahl, 29, went missing in June 2009 under unclear circumstances while stationed at a US military base near the town of Yahiya Kheyl in Afghanistan’s Paktika Province. He later appeared to have been captured by the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network. Bergdahl was released in May 2014.
In March 2015, Bergdahl was charged with desertion and other allegations.
