A US soldier who has been held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly five years has been freed in deal that includes the release of five Afghan detainees, US officials say.
US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 28, was handed over to US forces in good health, the officials said.
The five Afghan detainees have been released from the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
They were handed over to Qatar, which mediated the transfer.
Sgt Bergdahl was the only US soldier being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
A video grab image from 2010 showed Sgt Bergdahl in captivity
Officials said he was in good condition and undergoing medical tests at Bagram Air Field, the main US base in Afghanistan.
He would later be flown to a US military medical centre in Germany to "decompress" after his ordeal, American defence sources told the AFP news agency.
'Joyful and relieved'
Sgt Bergahl's parents said they were "joyful and relieved".
"We cannot wait to wrap our arms around our only son," Robert and Jani Bergdahl said in a statement.
Sgt Bergdahl's father, seen here at a rally last June, has been tirelessly campaigning for his son's release
In a statement, President Barack Obama hailed Sgt Bergdahl's recovery as "a reminder of America's unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield''.
Officials said the Taliban had handed him over on Saturday evening, local time, in eastern Afghanistan.
Several dozen US special forces were involved in the exchange, they said, which took place near the Pakistani border.
A senior official told the BBC that, once aboard the US helicopter, Sgt Bergdahl wrote "SF?" - asking if they were special operations forces - on a paper plate and showed it to the pilots, who replied: "Yes, we've been looking for you for a long time."
The senior official said: "At that point, Sgt Bergdahl broke down".
The soldier's hometown of Hailey continued to highlight his captivity
The soldier, of Hailey, Idaho, was captured on 30 June 2009, about two months after arriving in eastern Afghanistan.
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said Sgt Bergdahl would be given "all the support he needs to help him recover from this ordeal, and we are grateful that he will soon be reunited with his family".
He thanked the emir of Qatar for his role in enabling the transfer to take place.
On the five Guantanamo detainees, he said: "The United States has co-ordinated closely with Qatar to ensure that security measures are in place and the national security of the United States will not be compromised."
The Taliban said they welcomed the Afghan prisoners' release with "great happiness", AFP reports.
Under the deal, the detainees will be banned from leaving Qatar for at least a year.
In January, the US military obtained a new video of Sgt Bergdahl, giving his family renewed hope of his eventual return.
Throughout his captivity, the soldier's hometown had continued to remember him with special events and yellow ribbons tied to utility poles and trees.
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