Pentagon confirms identity of US soldier captured by Taliban

THE Pentagon has confirmed that an American soldier who went missing from his base in Afghanistan has been captured and identified him as a private from Idaho serving with an Alaska-based infantry regiment.

The Defence Department released the name of Pfc. Bowe R Bergdahl, 23, of Ketchum, Idaho, one day after he was seen in a video posted online as saying he was “scared I won’t be able to go home”.

Even before his name became public, two US defence officials confirmed to reporters that the man in that 28-minute video was the captured soldier.