« Former Iranian president says regime committed "coup" against the people | Main | Further evidence that cap-and-trade represents the largest intrusion of government meddling in the private sector in the history of the country. »

July 2, 2009

US Soldier Believed Captured In Afghanistan

Topics: Afghanistan

We can only pray that he's treated humanely, but in our hearts we all know how Islamists treat their prisoners:

From The Washington Post:

In a statement issued from U.S. military headquarters in Kabul, officials said "we are exhausting all available resources to ascertain his whereabouts and provide for his safe return."

The soldier was not part of the large-scale assault launched on Taliban forces in southern Afghanistan early Thursday. That operation, which involves about 4,000 troops from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, was encountering only light resistance, officials said. But the military expects the Taliban to respond more harshly once troops move into towns and began patrols.

Military officials in Afghanistan, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation, said the missing soldier appears to have walked off his base into an unsecured area.

A U.S. official in Afghanistan said the soldier's absence was discovered when he did not show up for morning formation. It is highly unusual for a U.S. soldier to leave a military base unaccompanied by other American troops.

Agence-France Press reported that a commander of the Taliban's hard-line Haqqani faction claimed Thursday that his militia had captured the soldier in the Yousuf Khail district of Paktika province. The area is along the porous border with Pakistan. That report could not be independently confirmed.

"Our leaders have not decided on the fate of this soldier." the AFP quoted the Haqqani commander, identified only as Bahram, as saying. "They will decide on his fate and soon we will present video tapes of the coalition soldier and our demand to media."

Two questions come to mind: The incident occurred at a Marine base so the missing man a soldier or a Marine? Also, why would a member of the U.S. military simply "walk off" the base when he had to know that the danger of being captured was significant? Of course, regardless of the branch of service and the circumstances of his leaving the base, every American should be praying for this man. It is certain that his treatment under the Taliban will constitute genuine torture - far different than the "harsh treatment" at GITMO that has been condemned as torture by the Left in the U.S.

HT - DrewM

Posted by Richard at July 2, 2009 9:35 AM

Articles Related to Afghanistan:

• US Soldier Believed Captured In Afghanistan - Jul 02, 2009