Washington, July 20: An American soldier who went missing June 30 from his base in eastern Afghanistan and was later confirmed to have been captured said in a video posted by the Taliban that he’s “scared I won’t be able to go home.”
Two US defence officials confirmed that the man in the video posted Saturday on the Internet is the captured soldier, but the Defence Department has not released his name. The video provided the first glimpse the public has had of the missing soldier.
The US military on Sunday condemned the release of a video saying the images violated international law.
The soldier is shown in the 28-minute video with his head shaved and the start of a beard. He is sitting and dressed in a nondescript, gray outfit. Early in the video one of his captors holds the soldier’s dog tag up to the camera. His name and ID number are clearly visible. He is shown eating at one point and sitting cross-legged.
The soldier says his name, age and hometown on the video, which was released on a Web site 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 is interviewed in English by his captors, and is asked his views on the war, which he calls extremely hard, his desire to learn more about Islam and the morale of American soldiers, which he said was low. 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 later chokes up when discussing his family and his hope to marry his girlfriend.
“I have a very, very good family that I love back home in America. And I miss them every day when I’m gone,” he said.
He is also prompted by his interrogators to give a message to the American people.
“To my fellow Americans who have loved ones over here, who know what it’s like to miss them, you have the power to make our government bring them home,” he said. “Please, please bring us home so that we can be back where we belong and not over here, wasting our time and our lives and our precious life that we could be using back in our own country. Please bring us home. It is America and American people who have that power.”
A US military spokeswoman in Afghanistan, Lieutenant Commandier Christine Sidenstricker, said the Taliban was using their captive for propaganda.
“I’m glad to see he appears unharmed, but again, this is a Taliban propaganda video,” she said. “They are exploiting the soldier in violation of international law.”
-Agencies