I read somewhere (yes, on the Internet!) that he was assigned to a special project affiliated with the locals, and that’s how he was able to leave.
I said the other day I thought that perhaps he had a friend in the locals killed honor style or some similar, then says Blank-it and went gonzo. Now I REALLY wonder if that’s not the case.
Whatever happened, the only thing I can say with total certainty is that we are being lied to about the whole thing.