USA

Bergdahl Due Back in Court for Pre-trial Hearing

FILE - In this file image taken from video obtained from Voice Of Jihad Website, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, sits in a vehicle guarded by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on accusations that he endangered fellow service members by walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009.

The Friday hearing will likely include further arguments on whether prosecutors should be allowed to admit evidence of injuries to service members who searched for Bergdahl.

The judge has also threatened to require testimony from government officials about the pace at which the defense is receiving classified evidence.

Bergdahl, who's from Hailey, Idaho, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, the latter of which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. He was held captive for five years by the Taliban and its allies after he walked off his post.

His military trial is scheduled for April 2017.