A video showing the handover of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl into U.S. custody over the weekend has been released by the Taliban.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said that the video, which was emailed to media outlets Wednesday, is being reviewed by the Defense Department, but there is "no reason to doubt [its] authenticity," reports the Fox News.

After five years of captivity, Bergdahl is seen in the video dressed in all white traditional Afghan clothing as he prepares to be released by his captors. He is sitting in a pickup truck parked on a hillside in eastern Afghanistan, surrounded by over a dozen Taliban fighters holding machine guns.

A Black Hawk helicopter then arrives and two Taliban fighters assist Bergdahl halfway to the helicopter while waving a white flag.

As the helicopter lands, one of the Taliban is heard telling Bergdahl "Don't come back to Afghanistan. You won't make it out alive next time," in a native Afghan language, notes CNN.

Bergdahl is handed over to three Western-looking men that gave him a brief pat down and shook hands with the Taliban soliders before heading back to the aircraft.

The video is narrated by a Taliban militant who says the handover took place around 4 p.m. on Saturday around Bati in Ali Sher district of eastern Khost province.

"Regardless, we know the transfer was peaceful and successful, and our focus remains on getting Sgt. Bergdahl the care he needs," said Rear Adm. Kirby.

At another point in the video, the narrator says, "We told them there are 18 armed fighters and the Americans said that's all right."

As the video shows the helicopter taking off, the message "Don' [sic] come back to Afghanistan" appears across the screen.

In exchange for Bergdahl's freedom, the U.S. government released five Taliban officials who were detained at Guantanamo Bay. The video also shows the arrival of the militants in Qatar as they were greeted and embraced by the Taliban.

Both Congressional Democrats and Republicans have criticized the deal, and noted that the Obama administration failed to notify Congress 30 days in advance, as required by law. Service members also claim that Bergdahl deserted prior to his capture in 2009, which subsequently lead to the death of at least six soldiers who searched for him.

In response, the Obama administration justified the operation and cited Bergdahl's health and safety, which appeared to be in jeopardy.

"The United States has always had a pretty sacred rule -- and that is, we don't leave our men or women in uniform behind," President Obama said Tuesday.