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.

The Pentagon statement said Bergdahl’s status was listed as whereabouts unknown on July 1 and was changed to missing-captured on July 3. He is a member of 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Richardson, Alaska.

The soldier in the video had his head shaved and was seen with the start of a beard. He was sitting and dressed in a nondescript grey outfit. Early in the video one captor held the soldier’s dog tag up to the camera, his name and ID number clearly visible.

The soldier gave his name, age and hometown on the video, which was released on a website pointed out by the Taliban. He said the date was July 14 and that he was captured when he lagged behind on a patrol. He was asked his views on the war, which he called extremely hard; his desire to learn more about Islam; and the morale of US soldiers, which he said was low.

Asked how he was doing, he said: “Well I’m scared, scared I won’t be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.”

A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the militants holding the soldier haven’t yet set any conditions for his release.