KABUL/BAGRAM AIR FIELD: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed hope Sunday the release of US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl would lead to direct US talks with the Taleban.

“It could, it might and we hope it will present an opening,” Hagel said in an interview from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Hagel arrived in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit Sunday, following the release of soldier Bowe Bergdahl after five years in Taleban captivity. Bergdahl’s release in exchange for five senior Taleban figures held at Guantanamo Bay has been hailed as a breakthrough for peace efforts by a senior member of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council.

Hagel and the special ops team met quietly in a separate part of a hangar where he also spoke to a large group of US troops. Hagel told them that while they participated in an important mission they do many other jobs that often go unrecognized. He thanked them and told them they represented the true spirit of never leaving a comrade behind.


They largely kept out of sight. But as the special operations forces walked past their body armor and occasional beards and less clean-cut looks made it evident who they were.