Video of captured troop in Afghanistan discovered

The Washington Times reports that a video has been discovered of the person they’re calling “the US soldier” who went missing on June 30;

It was the first time the soldier has been seen since he went missing from his base in eastern Afghanistan on June 30. The Taliban announced July 6 that it had captured the soldier.

The Associated Press, which first reported on the video, said two Pentagon officials have confirmed that the man in the video was the missing soldier.

So here’s part of the video from ABC (thanks to Greyhawk).

There’s also six minutes of the video on YouTube from CNN. watch it while it lasts;

According to the Associated Press story on the subject, the soldier tells a different story than the Pentagon regarding the circumstances of his capture;

He said the date was July 14 and that he was captured when he lagged behind on a patrol.

But according to DoD;

On July 2, the U.S. military said an American soldier had disappeared after walking off his base in eastern Afghanistan with three Afghan counterparts and was believed to have been taken prisoner.

I lean towards the DoD’s version, because I find it hard to believe that an NCO would let a straggler in his unit lag so far behind that he could be captured.

Asked how he was doing, the soldier said on the video:

“Well I’m scared, scared I won’t be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.”

He begins to answer questions in a matter-of-fact and sober voice, occasionally facing the camera, looking down and sometimes looking to the questioner on his left.

He later chokes up when discussing his family and his hope to marry his girlfriend.

Whatever the circumstances of his capture, I hope he’s returned safely and uninjured and that many Taliban die horrible, excruciating deaths when he’s rescued.

Category: Military issues, Terror War