Petition to White House calls for Bergdahl’s release

A petition to take action to rescue a prisoner of war from Idaho needs thousands of signatures to get the president’s attention.

The petition to free Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl “using all means available,” including force, was created Jan. 17 on the White House’s We the People site. As of Thursday morning, it had close to 6,000 signatures. For the White House to respond, it needs to reach the 100,000 mark by Feb. 16.

Bergdahl is only American prisoner of war. Bergdahl was taken by the Taliban in 2009 in Afghanistan, but the military believes he may be in Pakistan now. In a conversation with Bergdahl’s family in 2012, President Obama said the soldier’s release was a high priority.

Earlier this month, U.S. officials said they had new proof-of-life video by his captors. They said it shows Bergdahl in diminished health. But the video is not being released.

Petitions can gather signatures quickly. For example, a petition to deport troubled Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber was started on Jan. 23 and had more than 194,000 signatures by Thursday.

If you would like to sign the Bergdahl petition, click here.