Why is the American soldier believed to have been captured by the Taliban?
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan-captured-soldier3-2009jul03,0,5444155.story American soldier believed captured in Afghanistan Military operation in Afghanistan’s Helmand province Email Picture Joe Raedle / Getty Images An Afghan soldier searches a home in Main Poshteh after arriving with U.S. Marines. The U.S. military releases few details about the apparent capture by militants in the east. The soldier has been missing since Tuesday. By M. Karim Faiez and Laura King 7:59 AM PDT, July 2, 2009 Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan, and Istanbul, Turkey — An American soldier is believed to have been captured by insurgents in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said today. The soldier has been missing from his unit since Tuesday, said Army Capt. Elizabeth Mathias. Citing concern for his safety, she did not disclose the circumstances
The brief military statement was not definitive about a capture having occurred; Mathias said the soldier was “believed” to have fallen into the hands of “militant forces.” There was no immediate public claim of responsibility from any insurgent group. A number of militant commanders, not all of them affiliated with the Taliban, operate in eastern Afghanistan. However, the Reuters news agency quoted a senior Taliban commander, Mullah Sangeen, as saying the soldier was captured this week as he left a base in Paktika province on patrol. If the reports are borne out and an American soldier was seized alive, it would be an unprecedented coup for the insurgents. They could exploit a capture for propaganda purposes or demand concessions such as a prisoner exchange. Abductions of aid workers, journalists and Afghan nationals are not unusual, but a military official said the soldier’s apparent capture was believed to be the first of its kind in the Afghan conflict. Sources:
Related Questions
- Is the German soldier captured at the Radar Site and then released by Captain Miller the same one who stabbed Private Mellish to death?
- Should adopted children have the right to know their biological parents"Reagan Great American"?
- Why is the American soldier believed to have been captured by the Taliban?
