US Soldier captured in Afghanistan

**Schmedlap** · 07-02-2009

via Fox News...

KABUL — Insurgents have captured an American soldier in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Thursday. Spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias said the soldier went missing Tuesday.
"We are using all of our resources to find him and provide for his safe return," Mathias said.

More info at the link...

Is this a first? And what are the prospects of this ending better than similar situations in Iraq?

**Entropy** · 07-02-2009

Bad news. A lot depends on who captured him.

**davidbfpo** · 07-02-2009

Based on a BBC comment I suspect the first to be captured: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8130476.stm

I recall reading a linked report on fighting in the Korengal Valley, to Taliban attempts to drag away wounded soldiers.

davidbfpo

**Brandon Friedman** · 07-02-2009

Wow. The Taliban claim to have him:

An American soldier has been captured by insurgents in Afghanistan, the first to be taken prisoner since the US-led invasion of 2001.

The US military refused to confirm details but a commander of the Taleban's hardline Haqqani faction said that his men had captured the soldier in the southeastern Paktika province, which borders Pakistan.

“One of our commanders named Mawlawi Sangin has captured a coalition soldier along with his three Afghan guards in Yousuf Khail district of Paktika province,” the commander, named only Bahram, told the AFP news agency.

**Brandon Friedman** · 07-02-2009

On CNN, Barbara Starr just suggested the possibility that they'll transport him to Pakistan.

**marct** · 07-02-2009

So, the question now is what do they do with him?

**Brandon Friedman** · 07-17-2009

Some of you might have seen this story from CBS yesterday about how the U.S. is delivering threatening leaflets in Afghanistan to coerce the release of the captured American soldier:

At least two Afghan villages have been blanketed with leaflets warning that if an American soldier kidnapped by the Taliban two weeks ago isn't freed, "you will be targeted."

Villagers near the border of two volatile provinces, Ghazni and Paktika, tell CBS News' Sami Yousafzai that aircraft dropped the leaflets during the past several days.

Military spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias confirmed that the leaflets were produced at Bagram Air Base, the primary U.S. installation in Afghanistan, and distributed in the region. She told CBS News correspondent Mandy Clark, however, that they were distributed by hand, not aircraft.

The papers show on one side an image of a soldier with his head bowed so that his face is not visible (above). A message in the local Pashtun language over the image says, "If you do not free the American soldier, then..."

On the other side, an image shows Western troops breaking into a house. The rest of the message is printed across the photo: "...you will be targeted".

The leaflets literally show a soldier kicking in a door, and the significance isn't lost on CBS:

While American military and intelligence services have dropped leaflets on Afghanistan for years, most of them have clearly targeted militants -- frequently carrying photos or caricatures of Taliban leaders.

The new leaflet represents a broader, direct warning to local people in the region where the U.S. soldier was seized.

I think this is a clumsy and ham-handed way to go about doing things that ultimately won't work (and will likely do more harm than good). Earlier today, I offered the reasons why I think that. Instead of taking up space re-printing the entire thing here, however, I'm interested to see what everyone else thinks of this technique.

**davidbfpo** · 07-17-2009

Brandon,

A bizarre tactic IMHO and how are the locals supposed to help the coalition locate the captured soldier? Where is the appeal to the pashtun code of honour and a reward?

davidbfpo

**Ken White** · 07-17-2009

and moved on. Thought it bad enough that I couldn't bring myself to post it here. Agree it's far more likely to do harm than good.

I'd like to report I'm always shocked

when we do something dumb but I do try to be honest here...

David's point is very appropriate; the leaflet sort of makes a mockery of 'knowing the culture.' Hopefully, the PsyOps people and the IO guys were not involved. David was quite polite, calling it "bizarre." True, it is that, however, I'm inclined to stick with my "stupid."

**George L. Singleton** · 07-17-2009

Too many knowns. The media needs to shut up and shut down as the did with their yellow journalist NYT captive until he escaped.

We, too, need to be quiet about unknowns.

Let it work it's way out.

**Brandon Friedman** · 07-17-2009

Originally Posted by George L. Singleton

Too many knowns. The media needs to shut up and shut down as the did with their yellow journalist NYT captive until he escaped.

We, too, need to be quiet about unknowns.

Let it work it's way out.

This is not one of those situations. In context or out of context, this is clearly stupid and dangerous. It's something COL Steele would've done. And I'm glad I know about it.